IPL: “If you are not in the limelight, then you have done a great job.” This is a saying often associated with umpires in cricket for they are scrutinized heavily only when they have made mistakes, more importantly mistakes that have a major impact on the game.
Umpiring is a tough job, without a doubt. Doing it especially in a big tournament such as the Indian Premier League demands only the elite ones. Over the course of 14 editions of the IPL, the BCCI has roped in the best local and international umpires to officiate the matches.
Here are 5 umpires who have officiated in most Indian Premier League games:
Sundaram Ravi
Sundaram Ravi, the 55-year-old umpire from Bangalore is one of the most respected and experienced umpires in world cricket. He made his umpiring Indian Premier League debut in 2009 and has so far officiated in 131 IPL matches. S Ravi was a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires between 2015 and 2019. He has officiated in over 150 international matches as an on-field umpire and TV umpire.
Anil Chaudhary
Anil Chaudhary has supervised 100 IPL matches as an umpire starting from the 2012 season. The 56-year-old from Delhi has also been part of 99 men’s internationals so far along with 14 women’s international games.
Kumar Dharmasena
One of the premier umpires in the world, Kumar Dharmasena has appeared in 94 IPL matches so far and has been associated with the league since 2009. His massive gaffe in the final of the 2019 World Cup apart, the 50-year-old Sri Lankan is a respected umpire in world cricket and has officiated in over 300 men’s international matches.
Chettithody Shamshuddin
C Shamshuddin made his Indian Premier League umpiring debut in 2012 and has been a regular in the past few years. The 51-year-old umpire from Hyderabad has been involved in 89 IPL games in his career to date. He has also officiated in 99 men’s international and 8 women’s international games.
Nitin Menon
Nitin Menon has gained the reputation of being one of the finest, arguably the best umpire currently, in India. Everyone was impressed by his umpiring decisions in the past year during the IPL and the home international matches.
Menon has officiated in 71 IPL matches so far, having first stood in the IPL in 2016. The 38-year-old from Indore has been part of 83 men’s internationals as an umpire.
