'Not a great umpiring decision being made there' - Heinrich Klaasen slams umpires after being denied no ball

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) squared off in the 58th match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday, May 13. After batting first, the AIden Markram-led side posted 182 runs in 20 overs. For LSG, stand-in skipper Krunal Pandya picked two wickets while Yudhvir Singh, Avesh Khan, Yash Thakur, and Amit Mishra snared one scalp each.

The game was disrupted by controversy after an unfortunate incident occurred between a section of spectators and LSG members near their dugout. The event happened after SRH were rejected a no-ball for height, despite the ball appearing to have passed over the waist of batter Abdul Samad.

Heinrich Klaasen, on the other hand, was stunned by the decision and was seen talking with the leg umpire. The game stopped for several minutes, and both Klaasen and his batting partner Abdul Samad lost momentum. 

During a mid-match interview, Klaasen lashed out at the SRH crowd, stating that their behaviour broke the team's momentum. He also slammed the umpires for their terrible decision-making.

“Disappointed with the crowd. That's not what you want at the venue. Very disappointed (because) that broke our momentum. Not a great umpiring decision being made there, but it's part of the game,” Klaasen said.

Klaasen, who top-scored for SRH with 47 runs, then reflected on SRH's innings, stating that Krunal's twin-wicket over slowed the tempo of the innings.

“The wicket changed quickly in the middle. There was some spin and decent amount of bounce, there were a few rippers (by Krunal - Markram and Phillips' wicket.) That broke the moment, it was difficult to play the harder length balls. Need to bowl length and slower ones into the wicket, can't be too full. It's not a bad wicket, but it's a bit slow,” he added.

Pooran's terrific knock powers LSG to an easy win

Nicholas Pooran's excellent knock helped LSG beat SRH by seven wickets. The batter scored an unbeaten 44 off just 13 balls, including three fours and four sixes, LSG chased down the target in 19.2 overs.