The Indian Premier League is only two nights old but there has already been a major umpiring controversy. In seasons past, the IPL has thrown up controversies surrounding the Men In Black and this year’s edition too has been quick to get in on the act. Here is a brief Q and A on what happened...
What’s the controversy about?
In the third ball of the 19th over of Kings XI’s innings, square leg umpire Nitin Menon said Chris Jordan, while running two runs, did not ground his bat at the striker’s end before going back to the non-striker’s end to complete the double. So Menon, who is part of the Elite Panel, signalled one-short. As a consequence, the score was adjusted to 145.
Erm, okay...
Here’s the kicker. Replays have since shown that Jordan did ground his bat inside the crease. So, in reality, Kings XI, who tied the match, in essence could have won the match before it even went to the Super Over.
Oh, so whose mistake is it?
The third umpire could have seen it and asked the on-field umpire to reverse his original decision. On air, Simon Doull said: “We go upstairs for everything else. We can look.” Co-commentator, Sunil Gavaskar concurred. The IPL has made no comment on the matter so far.
But the rules itself differ. Under 'Umpire Review' in 'Appendix D's, there is no mention of whether the TV umpire can overturn the on-field umpire's decision of a short run. In other words, even if the technology does exist, the TV umpire cannot use said technology to overturn that decision.
Kings XI must be upset...
You bet. Preity Zinta, who has a stake in the franchise, was hurt. “ I travelled enthusiastically during a pandemic, did six days of quarantine and five Covid tests with a smile but that one Short Run hit me hard. What’s the point of technology if it cannot be used? It’s time @BCCI introduces new rules. This cannot happen every year,” she tweeted.