Despite having an abundance of technology at their disposal for assistance, quite a few controversial calls from the umpires have turned the heads around of fans and cricket pundits.
And one such decision was made by third umpire Nitin Menon on Thursday, when a wide was sent upstairs for a review from Mumbai Indians batter in the match against Punjab Kings.
“Seriously? He (batter) was already outside the off stump. I thought, the lined moved (as the batter moved). That’s touch and go,” said a stunned commentator Murali Kartik on-air when umpire Menon ruled in favour of the MI batter.
And amid the questionable calls being made, especially by third umpires, former Australian cricketer Tom Moody suggested for specialist third umpires in IPL matches.
“It’s time we considered having specialist 3rd umpires, too many questionable decisions being made. Some umpires are better suited on field, the 3rd umpire requires experience and a certain skill set,” Moody wrote on X.
Rising on Suryakumar Yadav’s (78) second fifty of the season and useful contributions from Tilak Varma (34*) and Rohit Sharma (36), Mumbai Indians got to 192 for 7 against Punjab Kings.