In the 64th match of the Indian Premier League IPL in 2023, between the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, a controversial no-ball call at the conclusion of the game divided the fans.
Ishant Sharma delivered a waist-high full toss that was the fourth delivery of the final over of PBKS’s innings, and Liam Livingstone hit a six off it. The on-field umpire promptly signaled a no-ball, prompting DC captain David Warner to review the call.
The ball tracking revealed that the ball would have just missed the shafts by a hair. Livingstone had also slightly squatted while taking the shot, but the third official upheld the on-field decision and the delivery remained a no-ball. Harsha Bhogle, the match’s commentator, noted the third umpire’s lack of consistency in assessing waist-high no balls after the conclusion of the game.
The tweet also received a response from the owner of the Delhi Capitals, Parth Jindal, who expressed his confusion regarding the rule and stated that the ball that dismissed Shafali Verma in the WPL final should have also been ruled a no-ball.
Bhogle took to Twitter and wrote, “On the waist-high no-ball call by the third umpire, moving forward, consistency is essential.” Jindal responded to the Tweet by writing, “I for one cannot comprehend the rule—the ball that got Shafali Verma out in the WPL final was obviously a no-ball if the same rules apply as tonight. IPL What is the rule?
Notably, Shafali Verma was dismissed in the second over of the first innings during the March final of the Women’s Premier League 2023. Issy Wong’s waist-high full pass caused the Washington Capitals’ tee-off to miss backwards. Verma reviewed the decision after being ruled out on the field, and replays revealed that the ball was on her midriff when it first made contact, and she was not even crouching while taking the shot.
However, the decision was not reversed, and Verma was fired for violation of Section 11(4). As a consequence, Washington, D.C., was only able to score 131/9 in the first innings and lost by seven wickets.
No ball controversy between SRH and LSG
Earlier, during the first innings of Match 58 of the ongoing IPL season between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants, there was another no-ball controversy. During the third delivery of the nineteenth over of SRH’s innings, the on-field umpire signaled no ball against Abdul Samad.
However, after LSG captain Krunal Pandya reviewed the decision, the third umpire ruled in their favor because Samad had stooped while playing the shot. Despite the use of technology, the decision-making in the ongoing IPL has been subpar, which could be detrimental to the teams that advance to the semifinals.
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