Just four games in, the current season of the IPL has found itself in a controversy on umpiring errors. It has already cost a team a game. And it happened again in the games between Chennai and Rajasthan, reports Vijayhardik. An exclusive for Different Truths.
Just four games into the season, the Indian Premier League has its first controversy. The standard of umpiring this season is below par. These umpiring decisions have cost a team a game they had won. There was a review in the name of checking a catch after a team had lost its reviews.
While there is exhilarating action taking place on the field, umpiring blunders are distracting the viewers from that.
The second match of the IPL, the Kings XI Punjab were taking on Delhi Capitals. Two young teams with two young captains. Last season saw a change in fortunes for Delhi. They made it to the play-offs. Kings XI Punjab was aiming for a better finish compared to the previous season.
With a layer of grass on the Dubai pitch, it made for a great contest. It was a match that saw the pendulum of fortune shift many times. Thanks to a half-century from Marcus Stoinis they posted a decent total on the board.
Chasing down 158, Punjab always lost a wicket when they were about to get back into the game. Stitching up a partnership with other batsmen Mayank Agarwal held the innings together. He scored a brilliant 89 and got out with a run to spare. With scores tied, the match went into the super over. Delhi won the super over.
Chasing down 158, Punjab always lost a wicket when they were about to get back into the game. Stitching up a partnership with other batsmen Mayank Agarwal held the innings together. He scored a brilliant 89 and got out with a run to spare. With scores tied, the match went into the super over. Delhi won the super over.
But the question is should there have been a super over?
The fifth ball of the penultimate over (18.5), Rabada bowls a full toss on leg stump to Mayank Agarwal. After hitting it, the batsmen run for two. And the umpire calls a short run by the non-striker Jordan, while he was completing the first run. The television evidence examined later showed that Jordan grounded his bat properly within the crease. It was not a short run.
The fifth ball of the penultimate over (18.5), Rabada bowls a full toss on leg stump to Mayank Agarwal. After hitting it, the batsmen run for two. And the umpire calls a short run by the non-striker Jordan, while he was completing the first run. The television evidence examined later showed that Jordan grounded his bat properly within the crease. It was not a short run.
If that run had been added to the score, Punjab would have required only 12 off the last over. Instead of the 13, they chased. With Mayank Agarwal hitting a six off the first ball, running two off the second, and hitting a boundary on the third, they had scored the required runs for victory.
But because the leg umpire called it a short run, the match went into the super over. Robbing Kings XI Punjab, a well-deserved victory.
Last night, in the match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals there was another blunder. And that is ignoring the poor decisions on giving and ignoring wides and bouncers.
If that were an isolated incident, it could be blamed on human error. Last night, in the match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals there was another blunder. And that is ignoring the poor decisions on giving and ignoring wides and bouncers.
During the Royals innings, who were batting first, and scoring runs at a frenetic pace, there was a review that was not supposed to happen. On the fifth ball of the 18th over, there was an appeal for a caught behind by Chennai. The umpire ruled it out.
It is within the rights of an umpire to check whether the catch was claimed properly or not. They can ask the batsmen to wait and confer among themselves to refer it to the television umpire. But that did not happen as it was supposed to.
It is within the rights of an umpire to check whether the catch was claimed properly or not. They can ask the batsmen to wait and confer among themselves to refer it to the television umpire. But that did not happen as it was supposed to.
Rajasthan had lost the review when their batsmen Rahul Tewatia unsuccessfully used it after he was adjudged leg before wicket. So, Tom Curran did not have a review. The umpires only went upstairs after Curran made the gesture for a review. That goes against the rules as Rajasthan did not have a review left.
If the umpires had done it in a procedural manner, waiting to confirm whether the catch was claimed properly. There would not be much debate. But the abysmal umpiring standards keep the issue back in focus.
If the umpires had done it in a procedural manner, waiting to confirm whether the catch was claimed properly. There would not be much debate. But the abysmal umpiring standards keep the issue back in focus.
This week has few mouth-watering clashes lined up. After Chennai lost to Delhi last season, the CSK versus DC clash makes it a match to look out for on 25th September. And Kolkata and Hyderabad will renew their rivalry at Abu Dhabi on September 27th. These high-profile clashes should not be marred by umpiring errors.
Photos sourced by the author
Feature Image: (Twitter/Virendra Sehwag)
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