On Friday, Rajasthan Royals defeated Delhi Capitals by 15 runs in the 34th match of the ongoing 15th season of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The match started off with Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal on the opening wicket with 155 runs in 15 overs. It laid a considerable gap for the total score against Delhi Capitals. Padikkal, the RR batsman, scored 54 runs in 35 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes. In the meantime, Buttler assisted the team by 116 runs in 65 balls with 9 four and 9 sixes. RR Bowler, Prasidh Krishna, and Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 2 wickets, while Yuzvendra Chahal picked up 1 wicket.
Rishab Pant, DC captain and top scorer, supported the team with 44 runs in 24 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes during the match, while Prithvi Shaw and Lalit Yadav contributed 37 runs. Wicket-takers Khaleel Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman scored 1 wicket each.
Arguments over no-ball
Capitals needed another 36 runs to fulfilled a 223-run target and win the match. Rovman Powell hit three sixes in a row off Obed McCoy, reducing the gap to 18 runs.
McCoy, the RR bowler, delivered a third ball which looked like a waist-high full toss that should be called a no-ball. But instead, umpires Nikhil Patwardhan and Nitin Menon considered it a fair delivery and refused to refer it to the third umpire, Yeshwant Barde. The incident angered Rishabh Pant and assistant coach, Pravin Amre.
Pant then told RR batsmen Powell and Kuldeep Yadav to leave the field in a bid to end the game after they had a heated conversation about it. Amre ran onto the field to argue with the umpires, but he returned empty-handed. Pant and Jos Buttler were seen having another argument near the boundary. When Pant was finally calmed down by Shane Watson, the players could go on with the match.
“I thought the no ball could have been precious for us. I thought we could have checked that no ball, but it’s not in my control,” Pant said. “Yes, we are disappointed, but can’t do much about it. Everyone was frustrated because it was not even close, so I thought it was only a no ball. Everyone in the ground saw that. I think third umpire should have intervened in between and said it was a no ball, but I can’t change the rule myself I guess.”
Different opinions
A decision regarding this incident has the power to bring out different opinions. However, when one looks at the replays, it does look like a no-ball. Some say a role model like Pant and a veteran campaigner like Amre should behave in a much classier way than asking their teammates to forfeit a match.
When it comes to the umpires, the best thing they could have done in this case was to send the case to the third umpire. For a regular delivery, on-field umpires could not do the same because of the unique playing conditions in the IPL.
They can only call the third umpire if there was a no-ball or a wicket fell off the same delivery. Then, even if someone thought of it as a no-ball, the idea of referring it to Barde, the third umpire was already thrown out.
