Updated: September 21, 2020 4:50:54 pm
On the third ball of the penultimate round during the Kings XI Punjab chase, square leg referee Menon called Chris Jordan for a ‘short run’. (Twitter)
The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) had its first contact with the controversy in only its second match after a contentious arbitration call done by Nitin Menon denied Kings XI Punjab a crucial run, and likely a win, during their run-down chase against the Delhi Capitals in Dubai on Sunday night.
So what exactly happened?
On the third ball of the penultimate round during the Kings XI Punjab chase, square leg referee Menon called Chris Jordan for a ‘short run’. Television replays, however, suggested that Jordan’s bat was well within the fold by the time he completed his first run.
Did the decision affect the outcome of the match?
It turned out to be crucial. With Kings XI Punjab needing 21 of 10 deliveries to defeat Delhi Capitals, Menon asked Jordan for a short run, which meant only one run was added to the Punjab total. Mayank Agarwal then broke three limits in the first three installments of the final to level the scores. But Marcus Stoinis fired Agarwal and Jordan in the final two installments to send the match to the Super Over, in which Punjab imploded to give Delhi a win by the best of margins. Looking back, if that ‘short run’ had been credited to his total, Punjab would have won with three balls to spare.
A short one that was not. Technology must take over in these cases… ..but that is possible if only the third referee detects it in time. What if #KXIP Can’t make the last four by 2 points? Tight # IPL2020 it is likely to be… https://t.co/juCLU375jg
– Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) September 20, 2020
Why didn’t the third referee intervene?
Third referee Paul Reiffel did not intervene because he did not have the powers to do so. According to the IPL rules, a third referee is in charge of awarding balls, run-outs and stumps. In case of revisions, when they are delivered or not, the players respond to a call on whether they want to challenge the decision of a referee on the field and go to the third referee.
Other incidents such as the ‘short term’ do not fall within its scope. In such a scenario, the decision made by a referee on the field is considered final. Rule 2.13 of the IPL rule book details the powers of the referees on the field with respect to the ‘short run’. “The referee should signal a short run at the end where the incident occurs. However, the final referee of the pitcher will be responsible both for the final signal to the scorers and, if more than one run is short, for informing them of the number of runs to score ”, he indicates.
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How has the cricket world reacted?
Following Sunday’s fiasco, former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody noted that the rules should be changed for full commitment to technology. “Unfortunately, this kind of thing is not thought about until it happens. Without a doubt the third referee should have made a decision, but what the rule says is that they must declare that it is part of the rules before the start of the tournament, “Moody told ESPNCricinfo. “It’s clearly not part of the rules. Yes, there are no balls on the floor above and the third referee is in charge of that, the kicks and the hits, but they have not stated that any other incident like that, the third referee can overrule a referee on the field as well that until that happens, we are not going to have a total commitment to the technology that is available ”, he added.
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle acknowledged that such controversial line calls should be taken by third-party umpires in the future to minimize errors. “As it is, the third referee cannot overrule the ground referee. But as time goes by I see that each line call is adjudicated off the ground with a trained replay editor, not just the third referee, who watches the output of all line cameras, ”Bhogle tweeted.
How has Kings XI Punjab reacted?
The franchise has filed a formal appeal against Menon’s decision and has sought further technology intervention in the future. “We have appealed to the match referee. While human error can occur and we understand it, there is no room for human error like these in a world-class tournament like the IPL. This race could cost us a playoff spot, ”KXIP CEO Satish Menon told PTI. “The loss of a game is the loss of a game. It is unfair. I hope that the rules are revised so that there is no margin for human error ”, he concluded.
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