During a thrilling night at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the RCB-CSK conflict tension was increased further by a controversial incident that led to an on-field heated argument. The drama unfolded in the 17th over of Chennai Super Kings’ pursuit of 214 runs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In the third ball, Lungi Ngidi delivered a low full toss targeted at the middle and leg stump. Dewald Brevis missed the opportunity and got hit on the pad. Without any doubt, the umpire pointed his finger, initiating the ball-dead rule and the 15-second DRS timer.
“Yeah, it was a big moment,” Stephen Fleming, the CSK coach said after the game. “In talking to Jaddu [Jadeja] and Brevis, there was a lot going on with running straight away. I think they saw the ball ricochet and actually went to the boundary for four. And lost in that was whether Brevis took the review in time. I don’t know the answer to that. He wasn’t sure, given that they were running at the time, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo
“As soon as you’re given out, I understand the timer starts. There was a fair bit eaten up with the play still being completed, and whether they just ran out of time… in the umpire’s view, it did. The other part about it, because he was given out, we wouldn’t have got the runs. While we would have maintained the wicket, it certainly wouldn’t have given us the five runs, which would have been nice.
“But it’s a big moment in a big game. There was twists and turns all the way through.”
Chaos ensued, as Brevis and non-striker Ravindra Jadeja, who perhaps were oblivious of the countdown clock, tried to finish a run. A rapid throw from the point area ended in a straightforward hit at the non-striker’s end. In all the commotion, Brevis turned around towards Jadeja to have a brief conversation and then raised his finger for a review but that was too late. The window to use DRS had closed.
Also Read: Top 5 Batters With Fastest Fifty In IPL History
This resulted in a long argument between Brevis, Jadeja, and umpires Nitin Menon and Mohit Krishnadas, with CSK’s batsmen clearly agitated. Brevis, having no option, had to return to the pavilion for a golden duck. To add insult to injury for Chennai, replays indicated the delivery was patently short of leg stump, so a timely review would have reversed the decision and left Brevis at the crease.
The incident created yet another layer of controversy to what was already a tense, high-stakes situation.
