While IPL 2026 has largely delivered thrilling contests, two officiating moments have sparked sharp debate. The first involved Angkrish Raghuvanshi being ruled out for obstructing the field during Kolkata Knight Riders\u2019 clash with Lucknow Super Giants. The second centred on why KKR\u2019s pace bowler Kartik Tyagi was not taken off after delivering two consecutive waist-high full tosses in the same match\u2014both judged no-balls\u2014during the final over at Ekana Stadium on Sunday.<\/p>\n
In the fifth over of KKR\u2019s innings, Raghuvanshi played a shot towards mid-on and immediately set off for a run. He was sent back by the non-striker, Cameron Green. As Raghuvanshi turned and began to return to his crease, a throw from LSG quick Mohammed Shami towards the striker\u2019s end hit the batter as he dived in.<\/p>\n
Lucknow lodged an appeal. On-field umpires Abhijeet Bengeri and Keyur Kelkar reviewed the incident and referred it to the TV umpire, Rohan Pandit. Pandit concluded that Raghuvanshi was out for obstructing the field, stating that the batter had \u201cchanged his direction of movement\u201d after noticing the ball being thrown at him. The call immediately drew criticism, with commentators describing the dismissal as highly unfortunate.<\/p>\n
Raghuvanshi reacted angrily after the decision, striking the boundary cushion with his bat and tossing his helmet into the dugout. He was later fined 20% of his match fee and handed one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL Code of Conduct for Players. Even though KKR eventually overcame LSG in a thrilling Super Over, the match\u2019s storyline was inevitably overshadowed by the contentious wicket.<\/p>\n
Former international umpire Anil Chaudhary, however, believes Raghuvanshi\u2019s dismissal did not align with the laws of the game. Chaudhary argued that, in this situation, the ruling should have gone in the batter\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, I didn\u2019t feel that he was deliberate (in obstructing the ball). That change in direction was not wilful. It\u2019s not just about a change in direction\u2014it must also be wilful, because the batsman had very little time. When a batsman plays in front of the wicket, he is watching the ball, so he didn\u2019t have much time to react. Turning 180 degrees doesn\u2019t give the batter much scope. I felt that declaring him not out would have been a better call,\u201d Chaudhary said, as he is currently involved in IPL commentary on JioHotstar.<\/p>\n
Chaudhary, who has officiated in 12 Tests, 49 ODIs, and 64 T20Is, pointed to the relevant wording in the MCC Laws. Under Law 37.1.4, it states: \u201cFor the avoidance of doubt, if an umpire feels that a batsman, while running between the wickets, has significantly changed direction without probable cause and thereby obstructed a fielder\u2019s attempt to effect a run-out, the batsman should, on appeal, be given out obstructing the field. It is not relevant whether a run-out would have occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former umpire also questioned the handling of Tyagi during the same fixture. He argued that the pacer should have been taken off after two beamers\/unsafe deliveries aimed at LSG batter Himmat Singh, in line with the rules and match safety expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe should have been removed from the attack. The second no-ball was at the same height\u2014it wasn\u2019t too far off and was in the same range. There was a discussion going on outside (the ropes). The KKR coach (Abhishek Nayar) also suggested bringing on a spinner, and one was seen on screen. Then I think the TV umpire said the second beamer wasn\u2019t dangerous. They must have seen it on TV, it\u2019s their opinion,\u201d Chaudhary added.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, I think he (Tyagi) should have been taken off because the second full toss was above waist height. It\u2019s not allowed,\u201d he said, underlining his view that the delivery height made the decision to continue the over questionable.<\/p>\n
Even so, Chaudhary said he is broadly satisfied with the overall quality of umpiring in IPL 2026. \u201cNew umpires are coming in and doing well. There are incidents because of technology, and sometimes decisions are opinion-based. So it wouldn\u2019t be fair to give a general negative opinion. Many are doing good umpiring. There are a few controversial incidents, maybe because they happened back-to-back, it feels more significant,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While IPL 2026 has largely delivered thrilling contests, two officiating moments have sparked sharp debate. The first involved Angkrish Raghuvanshi being ruled out for obstructing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: KKR vs LSG Umpire Call on Raghuvanshi, Tyagi","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026 controversy: KKR\u2019s Raghuvanshi \u2018not out\u2019 call and Kartik Tyagi\u2019s full toss no-ball debate ignite debate ahead of next fixtures.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n