Kings XI Punjab have registered an appeal with match referee Javagal Srinath against on-field umpire Nitin Menon’s contentious ‘short run’ call in the 19th over of KXIP’s chase against Delhi Capitals on Sunday. The match ended in a tie after the regulation 20 overs and Delhi Capitals emerged victorious in the Super Over. Kings XI could have won the game in the regulation overs had umpire Menon, stationed at square leg, not deemed Chris Jordan to be a run short. The incident happened on the third ball of the 19th over when Mayank Agarwal tapped the ball towards mid-on to complete two runs. Menon, however, decided otherwise and only a single was added to the scoreboard. TV replays showed Jordan turned for a second run only after dragging his bat inside the crease for the first run.
Kings XI CEO Satish Menon felt that the decision could “cost them a place in the Playoff ”.
“We have appealed to the match referee,” Menon said. “While a human error can happen and we understand that, there is no room for human errors like these in a world-class tournament like the IPL. This one could cost us a Playoff berth. I hope the rules are reviewed so that there is no margin for human error. There is technology for everything these days.”
The erroneous call has led to several former and current cricketers calling for technological intervention.
“I don’t agree with the man of the match choice. The umpire who gave this short run should have been the man of the match. It wasn’t a short run, and that was the difference,” Virender Sehwag tweeted.
“Terrible one short decision in the game between Kings XI and Delhi Capitals,” New Zealand allrounder Scott Styris wrote.
“Technology must take over in these cases. What if Kings XI don’t make it to the final four by two points?” former India opener Akash Chopra wondered.
“This shouldn’t happen with the technology available. This was a line call like a no ball, run out or stumping. We can’t afford to have these errors influencing the outcome of matches in such a competitive tournament,” Tom Moody tweeted.
