IPL 2026 | "Change of direction cannot be the only reason to be given out": Anil Chaudhary on Raghuvanshi's dismissal

KKR’s Angkrish Raghuvanshi (right) argues with the umpires after being given out for obstructing the field against LSG on Sunday. Pic/PTI

Though Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in a thrilling Super Over at Lucknow on Sunday, the encounter will be remembered more for the controversial dismissal of KKR batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi, given out for obstructing the field.

In the fifth over of the first innings, Raghuvanshi played one towards mid-on and took off for a run before being sent back by non-striker Cameron Green. As Raghuvanshi turned and headed back to his crease, a throw from LSG's Mohammed Shami towards the striker's end saw the ball hitting a diving Raghuvanshi. LSG appealed and on-field umpires Abhijeet Bengeri and Keyur Kelkar referred the matter to TV umpire Rohan Pandit, who declared Raghuvanshi out for obstructing the field. TV umpire Pandit claimed that Raghuvanshi had "changed his direction of movement" after seeing the ball being thrown at him. The decision has led to heated debates, both on and off the field.

However, former international umpires Anil Chaudhary and MR Singh are convinced that Raghuvanshi was not out, going by the rule book. "I did not feel that it was a deliberate change of direction by the batter simply because he had very little time. And change of direction cannot be the only reason to be given out. It has to be deliberate and willful," Chaudhary, who officiated in 12 Tests, 49 ODIs and 64 T20Is told mid-day on Monday.

Chaudhary, 61, who is currently doing IPL commentary on JioHotstar, added: "It was not an easy call, but still, that's how it is. The time was too short for him [Raghuvanshi] to manipulate. It's a tight call and it's easy during a postmortem."

MR Singh, 71, who officiated in 10 ODIs apart from one Test and two women's ODIs, also felt Raghuvanshi did not act deliberately. "Not out. It's as simple as that. It was definitely not deliberate and that's the essence of this law. It has got to be deliberate obstruction for it to be out. Also, some unnecessary words have been incorporated into this particular law, which is causing confusion among umpires," he told mid-day.

MR Singh, who is currently guiding budding umpires in Mumbai, insisted that had he been the on-field umpire, he would not have even sent the matter upstairs. "I would not have gone to the third umpire. Not out, that's it. Now, this decision when made on a platform like this [IPL], will only confuse umpires in future," said Singh.

A disgruntled Raghuvanshi, who struck the boundary cushion with his bat and threw his helmet into the dugout, was fined 20 per cent of his match fees and has also accumulated one Demerit Point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL's Code of Conduct for Players.

Other IPL players who were given out for obstructing the field

>> KKR's Yusuf Pathan on 72, vs Pune Warriors India in 2013
>> DC's Amit Mishra on 1, vs SRH in 2019
>> CSK's Ravindra Jadeja on 5, vs RR in 2024