The Indian Premier League 2024 is gaining momentum with over 50 matches played and dusted. The path to the play-offs is still unclear as several contenders look to fight for a top-four spot in the league stage.
While the tournament is as fascinating as it can be, there have been some gloomy spots on the officiating standards of the season. Cricket experts criticized several umpiring decisions during the tournament. In this article, we discuss five such incidents that questioned the standards of officiating in IPL 2024.
Virat Kohli’s dismissal without the ball
Virat Kohli was furious when he was sent off after a high shot that he and his teammates thought was over the line. The incident took place during match No. 36 of RCB vs KKR. Harshit Rana played a full toss and Kohli came out of the crease and started defending the ball. The umpire took note of the review and Kohli was sent off.
The dough was boiling and several experts believed that Kohli had failed. But according to the regulations, it was rightly issued.
Travis Head’s shocking experience
In an extremely shocking decision by the umpire, SRH batsman Travis Head was not ruled out for his shocking dismissal in Match No. 50 SRH vs RR. The incident occurred in the 15th minute of SRH’s batting when Head faced Avesh Khan. The batter lunged to get the ball outside but missed. He lost his balance and goalkeeper Sanju Samson bowled the ball and it appeared that Head’s bat was in the air.
But the judge didn’t give it. Simon Katich said on air: “That bat was definitely in the air.” The decision also embarrassed RR director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara.
Wide ball from MS Dhoni
Another decision that came under scrutiny was the wide ball in CSK’s tournament match against LSG. The incident occurred when MS Dhoni was batting and LSG’s Mohsin Khan was bowling. Mohsin sent the ball wide beyond Dhoni. The former CSK captain extended his arms to reach for the ball and the pass went under Dhoni’s bat. The referee gave a yellow ball.
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif called for his dismissal. He linked this wicket with Kohli’s wicket after that high full toss, saying that the unplayable catch was legal and the ball that went under Dhoni’s bat was wide. “Tender judge,” he called his post.
Noor Ahmad caught it
In another controversial umpiring decision, Prithvi Shaw was sent off after taking a catch from Noor Ahmad during the GT clash against Delhi Capitals. The controversy occurred during DC’s fourth strike. Shaw played one shot towards Noor from deep mid-wicket, who covered some ground and then made a brilliant leap towards the catch. The third referee looked at the hold and ruled it legal.
However, several social media users believed the ball made contact with the ground when the defender threw it.
Shivam Dube’s wide delivery call
Another criticism was that of Shivam Dube and Yash Thakur. The incident took place during the match between CSK and LSG. In the 18th over of the CSK batting, Yash opted for a wide yorker which was deemed wide by the on-field umpires. KL Rahul was not cheerful with the call and went to check and at the same time exchanged a few words with the umpire and batsman Dube. Looking at the pass, the referee upheld the on-field decision for Wide.
