Ranji Trophy 2024-25: JKCA lodge complaint with BCCI over poor umpiring in Mumbai fixture

The defending champions Mumbai suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Jammu and Kashmir in the sixth round of the Ranji Trophy, causing a huge upset. At the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy at the BKC, the star-studded Mumbai team lost by five wickets to the Paras Dogra-led team, who fully outplayed them.

Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were among the prominent players who played for the Mumbai team but struggled against the J&K bowlers and were unable to have an effect.

Even yet, there was still some controversy following the game, as the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) complained to the BCCI about the umpiring’s performance.

In a statement, Anil Gupta, the administrator of the state association, disclosed this information regarding two rulings: Shreyas Iyer was declared not out despite obviously edging the ball, and Abid Mushtaq was given leg before wicket (lbw) when the ball appeared to have been pitching outside leg stump.

Indeed, we have formally complained to the BCCI on the match’s umpiring standards. We have highlighted two decisions that went against the J&K team: Mumbai’s middle-order batsman was declared not out even though he had obviously edged the ball, and Abid Mushtaq was declared out lbw (off Mohit Avasthi) in the first innings when it appeared the ball had been pitched outside the leg-stump. Anil Gupta told The Times of India, “I was disappointed by some of the umpiring choices, which were very horrible, as I was present at the pitch and watched the match.

The administrator expressed his dissatisfaction, but J&K captain Paras Dogra tried to downplay the situation, claiming it was just part of the game. However, he still brought up the DRS issue, which is only utilized in knockout games, and he accepted the referees’ errors.

“We haven’t been able to do much about this for years. Because they are only human, umpires are prone to errors. But it would have been enjoyable if they had paid a little more attention. A DRS would have been a nice addition to the game, but since there are ten to fifteen games going on at once, we are powerless to regulate it. Since everyone is experiencing this, it makes no difference,” the captain stated.