The IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday ended in a last-ball thriller with the home team winning the IPL 2024 clash by one solitary run.
Royals needed two runs off the final ball. But Hyderabad’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a superb ball to Rovman Powell’s pads to get him LBW. While Rajasthan Royals had no reviews left at that stage, the talk was what would happen if they had taken a review and had the decision from the on-field umpire revoked.
The rule book states that even if the decision was overturned by the TV umpire, the batters could not run leg byes. While the rule would not have changed the outcome of Thursday’s IPL match since the decision was correct, it raised some eyebrows, with people questioning what would happen if the on-field umpire’s decision was actually incorrect and would be overturned.
This led to former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn to suggest that cricket take cues from baseball.
“We need to basically play in baseball style. Consider the ball not dead until play has come to a stop. So essentially, run if you’re the batting team and continue to field if you’re the bowling team. Then we address the LBW or caught off no ball etc after. Out if out, runs awarded if LBW or caught was not out,” Steyn suggested on Twitter after Thursday’s IPL match.
Thursday’s last-ball thriller IPL match was one of the most exciting ones in recent times, with table toppers Rajasthan Royals needing just 20 runs from their last two overs with five wickets still in hand.
Then SRH skipper Pat Cummins took charge, bowling the 19th over where he gave away just one run in the first five balls while taking the wicket of Dhruv Jurel. More importantly, he stifled Powell by making him play three dot balls. Powell came back nicely, hitting the final ball for a six to keep his side in the chase, needing 13 runs off the final over in the SRH vs RR IPL match.
That was when Bhuvneshwar wielded his magic with the ball, giving away just one boundary in his over while making R Ashwin and Powell dig deep to find the runs. Then on the final ball of the innings, with just two runs needed off the final ball, he dismissed Powell.
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