More than half of the league stage matches of the IPL 2022 are done and dusted. With 10 teams, non-stop cricket has kept the fans glued to their television screens.
Apart from the cricket itself, fans have also been talking about the number of controversies that have taken place. The IPL 2022 perhaps has seen the most number of arguments on the field for a single season. And there are still over 20 matches to go with things set to get heated up as the playoffs approach.
Here are the top 4 controversies of IPL 2022 so far:
Rishabh Pant and umpires no-ball drama
Nothing so far has seen things get heated and serious as Rishabh Pant signalled his batters – Rovman Powell and Kuldeep Yadav – to return back in the dugout after the umpire didn’t give a waist-high no-ball to Powell and also refused to check with the third umpire.
With 36 needed off the last over against Rajasthan Royals, Powell smacked Obed McCoy for three sixes, the third one DC felt was a no-ball. When his batters didn’t leave the field, Rishabh Pant sent assistant coach Pravin Amre inside the playing arena to talk with the umpires, who remained stubborn on their decision and the game went on.
Sanju Samson arguing with umpire over wide calls
The laws were brought up, social media was divisive after Sanju Samson and Prasidh Krishna were this time on the wrong side of the umpiring call. Umpire Nitin Pandit called wide thrice when KKR batters Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh moved way across the off-side as Krishna followed him. Even though the ball had gone within hitting range of the batters, it went outside the pitch on the third occasion and hence the umpire deemed it a wide.
RR skipper Samson was utterly frustrated with this and even demanded a review for the wide call only for the umpire to remind him that reviews can’t be used for anything other than dismissals.
Virat Kohli lbw controversy vs MI
Batting on 48, Virat Kohli was about to hit his first fifty of the season and close out the chase vs Mumbai Indians. But part-time off-spinner Dewald Brevis had him lbw two runs short of his fifty.
Kohli reviewed the out decision immediately and while on replay it felt there was a faint edge, the third umpire judged the ball to be hitting the bat and pad at the same time, thus standing with the on-field umpire’s decision of out.
Virat Kohli was livid and furiously slammed the boundary ropes on his way back. Fans were enraged as they, and Kohli, felt the batter had edged the ball clearly and should have been deemed not out.
Harshal Patel fight with Riyan Parag
One of the best death bowlers in the tournament, Harshal Patel was left frustrated after Rajasthan’s Riyan Parag hit him for some boundaries, including a last-ball six, and took RR to a winning total.
Upon returning to the dugout, Parag and Harshal exchanged a few feisty words with the RCB seamer even aggressively walking toward the RR batsman, but thankfully they both were separated. After the game, though, Harshal Patel didn’t shake hands with Riyan Parag.
