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We recently saw two centuries in the IPL this season and the one by Gayle was simply remarkable. In addition to some enthralling performances in this IPL, we have also seen many mistakes committed by players/umpires/team management/captains/match referees. Let’s take a look at some of them.
1) Michael Hussey declared not out (10th April) - In the match against Punjab, when Hussey attempted a quick single, a direct throw from mid-off hit the stumps and Hussey was clearly short of the crease. This was demonstrated on the big screen and the third umpire had a good look at it from different angles; but I wonder what was he thinking when he pressed the not out button. Later, Hussey went on to play a match-winning knock and the correct decision at that point would have made the game more interesting.
2) R P Singh’s no ball (13th April) – Everyone is well aware about the last-ball no ball in the RCB vs CSK match. With 2 required off the last ball, Sir Jadeja gave an easy catch to third man and completed a single by the time catch was completed. However, the delivery was declared a no ball, and it gave 2 runs to Chennai with a ball left. This was not a slip of feet by the bowler or a tough call by the umpire; instead it was a shockingly big front foot no ball. This was an awful error by R P Singh at a very important point, and one that may come back to haunt RCB.
3) Gautam Gambhir awarded Man of the Match (14th April) - When Hyderabad was playing against Kolkata, Gambhir and Bisla provided a solid start and Gambhir went on to complete his half century. He was eventually awarded Man of the match, but I believe Kallis’ effort was worth more. He made useful 40 runs at a good strike rate and then picked up three crucial wickets to finish a perfect all-round performance.
4) Steve Smith dropped from Pune (Till 15th April) - I was very surprised to see Smith sitting on the Pune Warriors bench despite being fit. In spite of last year’s dismal performance by the team, Smith was among of the best performers of the team. Last year, his batting average was about 40, with a good strike rate. Though there is cap of 4 foreign players, Smith should be the first one to be selected. After Ross Taylor dropped two catches of Rohit Sharma at long off (the same position where Smith fields) and made no significant contribution with the bat, Smith was included in the side.
5) LBW appeal against Lokesh Rahul (16th April) - While chasing the target set by Delhi, Bangalore was a bit slow in the start because of some good bowling early in the innings. In the second over, Ashish Nehra bowled an in-swinging delivery to Rahul which was clearly going to hit the stumps. It was one of the easiest LBW decisions for the umpire, but the appeal was turned down. Then Rahul hit two boundaries in the same over and, in a match that stretched to the Super Over, those boundaries and the umpire’s error turned out to be very crucial.
8) Last over by Ashish Reddy (25th April) - In the SRH vs CSK match, with 15 required off the last over, it was a big gamble by Cameron White to give the ball to Reddy who had not bowled in the entire match. With Ashish Reddy finishing the Hyderabad batting innings on a high note, White believed he could do the same with the ball. The obvious choice was Darren Sammy, as he had already bowled 3 overs and had an idea of the pace and bounce of the pitch. In fact, Sammy successfully led the West Indies to the World Cup T20 win, and his bowling made a significant contribution. Thus logic says that Sammy should have been given the over. However, that was not to be as MS Dhoni won the match for CSK.
9) Dhawal Kulkarni last over no ball decision (29th April)- When Punjab required 17 runs off the last over, MI captain Rohit Sharma could have given the over to Pollard, but he instead opted for Kulkarni. However, Dhawal missed the length and kept on delivering full tosses and was lucky to get away with it. With 11 required of the last 3, Kulkarni bowled a full toss which was well above the waist height. However, leg umpire Asad Rauf did not believe so. Praveen Kumar went on to discuss this with the umpire and may have asked him to review it, but Asad Rauf was quite adamant. So with 11 required off 2 balls, Praveen Kumar hit the ball for a six and the equation came down to 5 runs needed off 1 ball. In a bid to go over the top, Kumar holed out and was caught, resulting in a MI victory. Ideally, the equation should have been 4 required off the last 2 balls; but because of this poor umpiring decision, KXIP were denied a chance to win the game.
