Speaking on the no-ball drama in the game against the Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals’ head coach Kumar Sangakkara asserted that it is the umpires who have the final say on such matters while the players’ job is to play.
Delhi needed 36 runs from the last 6 balls after which Rovman Powell smashed Obead McCoy for three consecutive sixes keeping DC’s hopes alive. The third ball, though, stirred up a controversy as it was a full toss which Powell thumped for a maximum.
Several members from the DC dugout protested that it be called a no-ball or demanded the third umpire should intervene; skipper Rishabh Pant even gestured for the batters – Powell and Kuldeep Yadav – to return back to the dugout but they were held back. Pant then sent assistant coach Pravin Amre in the playing field to talk up to the umpires.
1st ever declaration in T20 by Rishabh Pant
Pant on fire
But that is clearly no ball#Pant #Powell #RRvsDC #DCvRR #RishabhPant #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/uTviM6jaAc
— Nara Akhil Chowdhury (@prabhas_mania17) April 22, 2022
Nothing, though, from the DC camp forced the umpire to change their decision: the playing conditions allow the onfield umpires to go up to the third umpire for such height calls only when there are dismissals.
Kumar Sangakkara said that it’s the umpires who hold the final command and they are there to oversee the game. The Sri Lankan felt that the umpires too have a tough job in such high-pressure situations, refraining from further saying too much on this topic.
“I think it is the umpires that control the game. There is a lot of pressure and tension in the IPL. Things can go either way, when you have a situation like that, in the end, the umpires control the situation. And the game went on. That’s how I look at it. I don’t think I can really dictate what is acceptable and what’s not,” Kumar Sangakkara said in a press conference after the game.
“At the end of the day, it is the players out there who play and the umpires have a tough job in terms of calling the game and our job as support staff is basically to support the players out there and let the game be played,” he added.
The BCCI has now handed sanctions to Pant, Shardul Thakur and Amre for their actions. Pant and Amre have been fined 100% of their match fees, with Amre also handed a one-match ban, and Thakur was fined 50% of his match fee, all for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct.
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