Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Angkrish Raghavvanshi He became the fourth player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be given out by the umpires for obstructing the field during the game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana International Stadium on Sunday, April 26.
At the end of the fifth over, Raghuvanshi pushed the ball towards mid-on and attempted a quick single. However, Cameron Green sent him back from the non-striker's end. Trying to make a timely comeback, the right-handed batsman walked down the middle of the pitch before making a quick change of direction, coming within the line of the ball.
Despite the controversy that followed, third umpire Rohan Pandit was absolutely right in his decision. According to the laws, no batsman is allowed to change direction significantly while running without probable cause. Clause 37.1.4 in the IPL playing conditions states the following regarding obstruction on the field.
“For the avoidance of doubt, if the umpire considers that the batsman, while running between the wickets, has without probable cause changed his direction and thereby obstructed the fielder's attempt to run him out, the batsman should be given out on appeal by causing obstruction in the field. It will not be relevant whether the run out would have occurred or not,” the said clause reads.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, third umpire Pandit tried hard to find out whether Raghuvanshi had any probable cause, which would have given him the benefit of the doubt in this delicate situation. However, when he found none, he had no other option to declare him out. Otherwise a not-out decision would have been more difficult to defend than an out one.
It is noteworthy that it is not the job of the umpire to know the intention behind the batsman's change of direction.
Raghuvanshi has joined a select group of people to have the incredible honor of being dismissed for obstructing fielding in the IPL. Other players in the list include Yusuf Pathan (2013), Amit Mishra (2019) and Ravindra Jadeja (2024).
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