Those lingering images from the 2011 World Cup final resurfaced quickly on Friday evening when a toss went wrong during the Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals Qualifier 2 at the New Chandigarh Stadium. Just as the coin was flipped by GT skipper Shubman Gill, the call from RR captain Riyan Parag could not be picked up by match referee Prakash Bhatt, forcing officials to repeat the procedure. Rajasthan ultimately won the toss and chose to bat, but Gill’s body language said it all—he looked distinctly frustrated, as if the first attempt had gone his way and the second one had cost him that advantage.
Toss confusion in Qualifier 2 brings back old World Cup memories
The sequence of events echoed the famous re-toss drama from international cricket. In the Qualifier 2 clash, Gill flipped the coin, yet Parag’s decision wasn’t audible enough for the referee. With that communication gap, the match had to do the toss all over again. After the repeat, Rajasthan Royals secured the choice to bat first, while Gill appeared visibly upset about the turnaround.
How the 2011 World Cup final set the template for re-tosses
The most iconic precedent for a repeated toss came on April 2, 2011, when India faced Sri Lanka in the World Cup final at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. In that match, New Zealand’s Jeff Crowe failed to hear Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara’s call, leading to the coin being flipped again. What made the moment especially striking was the reaction from India captain MS Dhoni—he initially believed he had won the toss and indicated a desire to bat first, only to be told by Crowe that the decision needed to be redone because the call hadn’t been heard.
Other IPL and cricket instances of retosses and toss controversies
While re-tosses are rare, IPL history has seen a few strange precedents for different reasons. In 2022, broadcaster Nick Knight was still introducing teams when RCB captain Faf du Plessis—apparently hurrying—flicked the coin. He was then asked to repeat the toss. Notably, Rajasthan Royals were also part of that tournament match scenario.
Last season, Rajasthan Royals were again caught in a toss-related mishap, this time against Lucknow Super Giants. Their then captain, Rishabh Pant, forgot to call it while the coin was still in the air, and the toss had to be redone as a result.
- Qualifier 2 (GT vs RR): Gill flipped the coin, Parag’s call couldn’t be heard by match referee Prakash Bhatt, so the toss was repeated.
- IPL 2022: RCB captain Faf du Plessis was asked to repeat the toss after the coin flip was mishandled during the broadcaster’s introductions.
- IPL last season: Rajasthan captain Rishabh Pant forgot to call it while the coin was airborne, leading to a re-toss in the match vs Lucknow Super Giants.
Toss controversies have also cropped up beyond the IPL. During last year’s Women’s Asia Cup, the India vs Pakistan game in Dambulla, Sri Lanka saw a major disagreement at the toss. Fatima Sana called “tails,” but the referee heard “heads,” which turned out to be the correct decision—so Pakistan sent India in to bat. The mistake wasn’t noticed right away, and by the time it was realised, India’s innings had already begun, meaning the procedure couldn’t be repeated.
Gill’s reaction and Shastri’s bafflement after the repeat
Back in the Gujarat Titans dressing-room zone, the blame for the communication error was widely linked to Parag not voicing the call clearly enough. Broadcaster and former cricketer Ravi Shastri also didn’t hear Parag’s call and appeared equally bewildered when he understood what had happened. Gill, for his part, didn’t attempt to hide his disappointment after the re-toss.
After the match, Gill later ran into BCCI president Mithun Manhas on his way out of the field. The interaction looked like Gill laid out the full incident to the former Delhi batter, while Manhas seemed amused by the situation.
- Riyan Parag’s call wasn’t audible to the match referee, triggering the toss repeat.
- Ravi Shastri also missed the call and looked flummoxed upon realising the issue.
- Shubman Gill showed clear frustration after the repeat and later spoke with Mithun Manhas, who appeared amused.
