The Indian Premier League is the second most lucrative league in the world only behind NFL of the USA. After the broadcasting rights of the league were sold for a record-breaking Rs 42,000 Crore, IPL left the likes of the English Premier League, NBA and other leagues behind.
Despite all the money, however, there have been many instances that has put IPL umpiring standards in question. Let’s look at five of the most controversial umpiring decisions in IPL history.
1. Marcus Stoinis Wide Ball (LSG vs RCB- 2022)
In a match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Australian bowler faced a ball from Josh Hazlewood which was outside of the tramline. The umpire however did not give it a wide despite appearing so. The on-field umpire reasoned that it was in the reach of the batter and hence shouldn’t be given a wide.
The very next ball, Stoinis was bowled and lost his cool as he credited his dismissal to a loss of momentum due to the argument on the previous ball. LSG lost the match and the wide ball sparked controversy for the coming days.
2. Virat Kohli LBW (RCB vs MI- 2022)
The star India batter was batting on 48 when a Dewald Brevis ball hit both his bat as well as the pad. To Kohli’s surprise, however, the onfield umpire adjudged him LBW inciting rage in the RCB batter.
The decision was sent to the third umpire but even he couldn’t change the decision as the replay did not show evidence to overturn the on-field umpire’s decision. Kohli was furious with the call and slammed his bat while walking back to the dugout. RCB fans took over Twitter and slammed the BCCI for a bad umpire call.
3. Waist high ball against Kane Williamson (CSK vs SRH- 2018)
In an IPL clash between SRH and CSK Shardul Thakur bowled a waist-high ball in the 17th over of the SRH innings. The ball was clearly over the waist of Kane Williamson’s waist but under MS Dhoni’s pressure, the onfield umpire seemed to succumb to making a wrong call.
Replays showed the ball to be clearly over Williamson’s waist and the wicket. The controversial call turned out to be a major reason in SRH’s loss and Williamson couldn’t take his team across despite playing a valiant 84-run knock.
4. Lasith Malinga no ball (MI vs RCB 2019)
In a match between Mumbai Indian and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Lasith Malinga bowled a no-ball in the dying embers of the game. The replay clearly showed that the Sri Lankan bowler had overstepped his mark, but the on-field umpires let it go.
As a result of this gaff by the umpire, MI were able to defeat RCB in a crucial encounter. The no-ball call turned out to be a highly controversial topic in the 2019 IPL season and remained in the cricket news for months.
5. Wrong replay by the third umpire (MI vs RCB- 2018)
In a match between MI and RCB in 2018 Umesh Yadav was ruled out after he gave a catch to Rohit Sharma. The on-field umpire however wasn’t convinced with the legality of the delivery by Jasprit Bumrah and hence asked the third umpire to review the ball.
The third umpire showed the replay on the big screen and it seemed perfectly fine. There was however a colossal blunder by the third umpire as the delivery that he was checking was of the previous ball. In the replay, Umesh Yadav was seen standing at the non-striker’s end. The decision stayed and this incident was seen as a dark spot on the standard of umpiring in IPL.
