Former Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir and ex-England spinner Graeme Swann lashed out at the third umpire during the IPL game between KKR and Punjab Kings after a crucial catch by Rahul Tripathi was not given which could have altered the final result of the clash.
The KL Rahul-led side won the match by five wickets with three balls to spare on Friday. The result could have been different had the third umpire deemed Tripathi’s catch as legal, which would have meant Rahul’s dismissal and Punjab needing 11 from 9 balls.
The Kings required 11 off 10 balls for victory when Punjab captain Rahul swatted a delivery from Indian young gun Shivam Mavi towards the mid-wicket boundary. Kolkata fielder Tripathi steamed in from the boundary rope, diving forward to seemingly take a classy catch.
However, on-field umpires were uncertain whether Tripathi had taken the catch cleanly, sending the decision upstairs. A lengthy review followed, with third umpire Anil Dandekar consulting several camera angles of Tripathi’s catch in slow motion. He then declared him not out.
After the match, Gambhir and Swann criticised the third umpire. “That was a shocker, this can end someone’s campaign. He shouldn’t have seen the replay more than once, it just looked out. Even if they had got KL Rahul out, things would have been different. We cannot have these kinds of shockers in the IPL,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
Meanwhile, Swann was quoted as saying, “That was the worst piece of third umpiring I have ever seen.”
After not being given out, KL Rahul finished with a score of 67 off 55 balls and led PBKS to a 5-wicket win and 2 crucial points.
