Robin Uthappa given not out after 3rd umpire applies to rule changes in IPL 10

IPL is a tournament which gives break to many local players who might not have been able to realise their dream of rubbing shoulders with some of the greats in the game otherwise. Likewise, it also allows some domestic umpires to get a taste of what this it takes to be an umpire at the highest level.

We have already seen some howlers in the ongoing IPL and with reviews not being included it becomes that more tough for the onfield umpires to give their call in front of a jam-packed crowd. In yesterday’s match, we saw yet another howler as Robin Uthappa survived a huge caught behind call in the very first delivery he faced from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He went on to make 68 which helped KKR reach a target of more than 170 runs.

There was yet another umpiring moment in the match which occurred during the 13 over of the match. The batsman in question was Uthappa yet again as he was given not out after the onfield umpires referred a caught behind decision upstairs to confirm whether the catch had been taken cleanly or not by the SRH wicketkeeper Naman Ojha.

On field umpire Anil Dandekar before referring to the 3rd umpire gave a soft signal of out and the only thing in question was to check the cleanliness of the catch. Replays showed that the ball carried to Naman cleanly but then 3rd umpire Abhijit Deshmukh checked for the front foot and analysed on whether the ball had hit the bat or gloves.

There was no conclusive evidence that the ball had hit the bat or gloves and after checking for a long time he ruled it in favour of the batting team. Former Aussie batsman Dean Jones lashed out at the decision and said Uthappa got some part of his glove and the decision should have been out. While the Decision Review System is not available in IPL, the rules and regulations of 2017 permit an onfield umpire to check with the 3rd umpire regarding a cleanliness of a catch.

A 3rd umpire is then expected to scrutinise each and every aspect of the decision when referred by the onfield umpire. Law 3.1 (c) of Appendix 6 of the Playing Conditions regarding fair catches states that third officials must review a decision as closely as possible.

The Law states in part: “The third umpire has to determine whether the batsman has been caught. However, when reviewing the television replay(s), the third umpire shall first check the fairness of the delivery … Additionally, if it is clear to the third umpire that the batsman is … not out by any mode of dismissal (excluding LBW), he shall notify the on-field umpire so that the correct decision is made.”

Additionally, Law 1.5 of Appendix 6 states: “The third umpire shall only have access to TV replays … Other technology which may be in use by the broadcaster for broadcast purposes (Hot Spot, ball tracking, Snicko) shall not be permitted.”