During the nail-biting finish of the Sunrisers Hyderabad versus Rajasthan Royals match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, a significant loophole in the LBW rule was highlighted. Sunrisers Hyderabad clinched a dramatic one-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals. With just two runs needed from the final ball, seasoned bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered a direct hit to Rovman Powell’s pads, resulting in an LBW call.
Rovman Powell was declared out LBW on the final delivery of the match, sealing the win for SRH by a narrow margin. After the call, Powell sought a review, which the TV umpire subsequently confirmed. Despite this, even a successful review would not have altered the outcome due to a specific ICC rule stating that once an umpire signals an out, the ball is considered dead.
Understanding the Dead Ball Rule in Cricket
The primary governing body’s rule book specifies, “If after a Player Review request, an original decision of ‘Out’ is overturned to ‘Not Out’, the ball is still considered to have become dead at the moment the original decision was made. Although the batting team benefits from the reversal of the dismissal, they shall not receive any runs that might have been scored from the delivery if the on-field umpire had initially ruled ‘Not Out’.”
While this rule would not have altered the outcome for RR, it has sparked considerable speculation about what might have been the result of the match if the umpire had initially given the Caribbean batter not-out and that decision was then reversed.
Implementing Baseball Rules in Cricket: Dale Steyn’s Take
Following a nail-biting cricket match, former South African pacer Dale Steyn suggested adopting a baseball-like approach to the game to clear up confusion in certain situations.
“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 expressed on X after witnessing RR’s narrow one-run defeat to SRH.
In the tense match, SRH staged a remarkable comeback just when their opponents needed only 20 runs from the final two overs for a win. Captain Pat Cummins delivered a crucial 19th over, including the dismissal of Dhruv Jurel, although he conceded a six on the last ball to Powell, bringing the requirement down to 13 runs in the last over.
As Bhuvneshwar Kumar took on the last over, he unleashed a powerful mix of deliveries, keeping the RR batsmen struggling for runs. With just two runs needed from the final ball, Bhuvneshwar bowled straight and full to Rovman Powell, securing a dramatic victory for his team.
