Monitoring Desk
CHENNAI: A controversy erupted in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) when umpires changed the ball on their own because of the dew in a match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in Chennai on Wednesday night.
Rajasthan Royals spinner Ravichandran Ashwin left puzzled and questioned the umpires’ decision to change the ball at their own without consulting the fielding side and called for consistency while taking such decisions.
The heavy dew at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday evening forced the umpires to intervene and change the ball during the chase, leaving Ashwin, who returned figures of 2/25, “surprised”.
The Royals defeated the four-time IPL champions by three runs in a last-ball thriller, with CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja unable to score 21 runs off the last over in their chase of 176 for victory.
Ashwin said he had never before seen the umpires changing the ball because of excessive dew.
“I am quite surprised the umpires changed the ball for dew on their own. It’s never happened before and I am quite surprised. Some of the decisions in this year’s IPL on the field have left me a little flummoxed to be honest,” said the India stalwart.
“I mean, (it) left me flummoxed in a good or a bad way. It’s because I think what you need is a little bit of balance,” said Ashwin, who was adjudged Player of the Match. As a bowling team, we are not asking for the ball to be changed. But the ball was changed on the umpires’ accord. I did ask the umpire and he said we can change it. So I just hope every time there is dew they can change it every single time going forward in this IPL that sort of, you can do whatever you want, but you just need to be in a standard going forward,” he added.
It is not the first time to object to the umpiring decision in this event.
In the eighth match of the event played on April 5, Punjab Kings’ Sam Kiran also expressed his surprise at the sudden decision of the umpires to change the ball.
