A wave of shock washed over the MA Chidambaram Stadium as MS Dhoni was dismissed in dubious fashion during the 16th over of Chennai Super Kings’ innings. The call, confirmed by third umpire Vinod Seshan after a long review, left spectators aghast both in the stadium and on social media.
MS Dhoni Given Controversial Out: Here’s What Happened?
The incident happened when Dhoni was caught in front by Sunil Narine. On-field umpire Chris Gaffaney pointed, and Dhoni straight away requested a review. Replays indicated a minor spike on UltraEdge as the ball went past the bat, and CSK fans held on to hope that the decision would be reversed. But after viewing the footage from different angles and taking a long time, the third umpire concluded there was no contact with the bat.
The DRS Call
The umpire seemed to be heavily focused on the visuals to the left of the split screen, implying there was an evident gap between pad and bat lessening the chance of bat involvement. Ball-tracking technology verifying the delivery pitching in line, hitting in line, and crashing into stumps, Dhoni had no option but to walk back for a mere 1 run off 4 balls.
Mark Boucher Explains The Decision
The choice incited an outcry on social media, with the fans calling for greater transparency during the review process. Weighing in to address the backlash was ex-South African wicketkeeper-batter Mark Boucher, who explained that spikes of UltraEdge can happen for several reasons, not simply through bat impact. They may result from the boot of the batter impacting the ground or even small movement as the shot is made.
“When I was on-air, I was a bit surprised as to why the third umpire didn’t take the flicker of UltraEdge into account. It seemed pretty close to the bat,” Boucher said
What Did The Decision Not Go In MS Dhoni’s Favour?
Another factor that did not go in favour of Dhoni was the lack of clearness of the split-screen examination. While the right frame was not conclusive in terms of contact, the left frame suggested that there could be a gap in the field, which might have had an impact on the final decision.
While technically accurate according to DRS norms, the verdict will certainly go down as one of the more contentious moments of IPL 2025.
