Indian cricket umpire Anil Choudhary has shared his verdict on the controversial obstruction of field decision case. ipl 2026 Match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 28 April. The match held in Lucknow ended in a thrilling Super Over win for KKR.
The incident occurred on the last ball of the fifth over bowled by Prince Yadav. KKR batsman Angkrish Raghuvanshi was declared out for obstructing the field as on-field umpires felt he had changed the direction of his running, potentially disrupting play. The decision was referred to the third umpire, who upheld the out. However, Choudhary expressed a different opinion and said that, in his view, the batsman should have been given not out, as there was no deliberate intention to obstruct the field.
Chaudhary said on Instagram, “All the issues related to Raghuvanshi obstructing the fielding are under discussion. There are three or four very important things. Number one: Change in direction. A batsman is not given out just for changing direction. Deliberate change in direction has to be deliberate. Because there are many cases where batsmen run straight without making any change in direction at all, yet they create obstruction.”
He said, “You have to look at the intention, you have to look at the impact and you have to look at whether it was deliberate or not. The batsman ran, stopped and then turned; he ran in the other direction with the same speed, and the batsman has very little time. It is not possible for a batsman to run in a perfectly drawn straight line, and when a batsman plays straight, he often looks at the ball.”
Chaudhary further said that although replays may reveal a case of obstruction, such decisions ultimately depend on the umpire's interpretation and remain a matter of opinion. Raghuvanshi, who was out for just nine runs, looked quite upset by this call. Despite the controversy, KKR kept their composure and achieved a thrilling win. The three-time champions registered their second win in the tournament and are currently placed eighth on the points table with five points.
“When he dived into the crease to make his catch, he wasn't looking at the ball. I think it's always beneficial to see 'obstructing the field' in real time. If you watch it in the replay, you can realize that it's [obstruction]But if you see it in real time, you can form a slightly better opinion. This is an opinion call. I personally felt 'not out' was a better call. This is Act 37,” Choudhary said.
Get every cricket update! Follow us: :
Leave a Reply