Angkrish Raghuvanshi was controversially given away during Kolkata Knight Rider’s (KKR) Indian Premier League (IPL) away match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday. The incident took place on the last ball of the fifth over of KKR’s innings, a decision that did not go down well with the affected players, support staff and even the commentators.
Raghuvanshi quickly went for a single after nudging a length delivery from Prince Yadav towards mid on, but was sent back by Cameron Green at the non-striker’s end. The KKR batsman, who was running on the wicket line, quickly turned and tried to get back to the crease. In his attempt to get back to the crease, Raghuvanshi moved from mid-field to the right side and was hit by Shami’s toss on the boots.
As soon as the ball hit Raghuvanshi, Shami appealed for an obstruction on the field as the umpire sent him up. If we look at the records, the third umpire Rohan Pandit reckoned that the batsman (Raghuvanshi) had changed direction and dismissed the KKR batsmen – obstructing the pitch. The decision surprised the KKR camp as well as commentator and former India cricketer Deepa Dasgupta. “It’s a surprise to me,” Dasgupta said.
Raghuvanshi was also surprised when he spoke to the umpires on the field before walking off in frustration. On the way back, he smashed his bat on the ground and threw his helmet away in frustration. Even KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar was seen arguing with the fourth umpire over the decision. KKR were 27/3 in five overs at that point.
What do the IPL rules say in 2026?
According to the 2026 IPL rules, Article 37.1.4 states that “For the avoidance of doubt, if the umpire feels that the batsman, while running between the wickets, has significantly changed his direction without probable cause, thereby impeding the fielder’s attempt to run out, the batsman should, on appeal, be out and obstruct the field.”
“It is not relevant whether there would be depletion or not,” the rulebook added. To the naked eye, Raghuvanshi appeared not to be at fault, but Pandit’s word “watching the ball” might have played a role in his decision. Former Indian women’s captain Anjum chopra explained what went through the fourth umpire’s mind while making the decision.
“He feels that Raghuvanshi was changing direction. According to the laws of the game, if you are a batsman and you change direction and you interfered with the ball that is heading for the off-stump, you are out,” Chopra explained. “But it’s also case by case. What was the reason? Did he really change direction or not?” asked Chopra, working as a commentator.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi joins the unwanted list
In the process, Raghuvanshi became only the fourth batsman in IPL history to be given out for obstruction in the field. Yusuf Pathan was the first cricketer to be given out for on-field obstruction in the IPL.
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