CSK had yet to make up for the eight-plus minutes the pacer was away when Dhoni looked to bring it on – and a long discussion ensued with the umpires.
Nagraj Golapudi
Was Matisha Pathirana allowed to play the second ball despite being ruled out for more than eight minutes in Chennai Super Kings’ qualifier against Gujarat Titans? Even though Chennai Super Kings went on to win the match by 15 runs, this question caused a lot of intrigue.
Under IPL conditions, a player who leaves the field for more than eight minutes due to an internal injury – or for any other reason – must remain on the field for the same amount of time as he returns before being allowed to enter the field. It was not possible to confirm what niggles Pathirana had when he left the field. An inquiry with CSK to find out the reason for Pathirana’s exit from the field is yet to be answered.
He delivered his first over – his 12th – which went for ten runs, including four wides. After some time he left the field. On his return, he was tasked with bowling the 16th over. The Titans, on stage, were 102 for 6, needing 71 more runs for victory.
As CSK captain MS Dhoni ran off the field, Patrina noticed umpire Anil Chaudhary talking to him at the striker’s end. Dhoni walked up to Chris Gaffney who was on square leg to ask. The TV commentators noted that Pathirana was nine minutes into her exit, so the discussion was clearly about her eligibility for the judges at that point.
ESPNcricinfo heard that the match officials informed Dhoni at that point that Pathirana would have to wait a few minutes before coming out again. Dhoni acknowledged his playing status but argued that he had no choice but to keep Pathirana.
His other three front-line bowling options – Ravindra Jadeja, Mahesh Tekshana and Deepak Chahar – completed their four overs. Only Tusshar Deshpande remained two cars apart from Pathirana’s three. The other bowling option, Moeen Ali, did not bowl at all, and Dhoni is understood to have told the umpires that he was incapable of hitting a criminal strike against the two right-handed batsmen – Vijay Shankar and Rashid Khan. Medium.
Minutes passed. Dhoni recalled that he and CSK faced financial penalties on both sides for catching only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle if the 20th over did not start at the scheduled cut-off. time. It is understood that the Titans batsmen have also checked with the match officials about the delay.
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Finally, Pathirana was allowed to leave after four minutes of discussion between Dhoni and the umpires. He conceded 13 runs in the second over, then picked the wicket of Vijay Shankar who went for four runs and also saw off Darshan Nalkhande.
The delay ended without costing CSK, although they were penalized for starting the 20th over after the stoppage time.
The question is whether the umpires intend to penalize CSK under Rule 41.9 of the Unfair-Play Act, which deals with time-wasting on the field. According to this rule, the umpires must issue a first and final warning to the field captain if they feel there is a deliberate time-wasting. Repeating the same offense will result in five penalties to the batting team and suspension of the bowler. Enforcement of the law, which wastes time, is left entirely to the discretion of the judges.
There is a possibility that other groups will observe this phenomenon and it may become a trend in the future.
Nagraj Golapudi is the news editor at ESPNcricinfo.
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