Controversy hit the Gujarat Titans vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clash in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday after Rajat Patidar was given away in a controversial decision at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The incident took place on the fourth ball of RCB’s eighth over of the innings after Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill opted to bowl.
The RCB skipper tried to fend off Arshad Khan but the ball top edged towards deep backward square leg with both Jason Holder and Kagiso Rabada pouncing on the ball. But it was Holder who made the catch pretty low. However, television footage showed Holder dragging the ball on the ground after completing the catch.
Although Patidar waited on the ground for a while, third umpire Abhijeet Bhattacharjya judged that the West Indian all-rounder had his fingers under the ball. However, the videos tell a completely different story.
However, the decision did not go down well with Virat Kohli, who remained angry with the fourth umpire. Patidar also joined Kohli when he was on the boundary line but to no avail. Patidar was Gujarat Titans’ third wicket as RCB slumped to 79/3 in the eighth over.
What do the IPL rules say about catches?
According to rule number 33.2.2.1 and 33.3 of the IPL playing conditions, “A catch will be fair if the ball is held in the fielder’s hand or hand, even if the hand holding the ball touches the ground or is hugged to the body, or gets caught in the fielder’s outer protective equipment or is accidentally caught in the fielder’s clothing.
“A catch begins when the ball first touches the fielder’s person and ends when the fielder gains full control of the ball and his own movement.”
Kagiso Rabada, Mohd Siraj restrict RCB to 155
Meanwhile, RCB were restricted to 155 all out in 19.2 overs with their batsmen struggling against a bowling attack led by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj. RCB failed to string together a fruitful partnership and lost wickets at regular intervals as Siraj (1/38) and Rabada (1/44) reduced them to 35/2 in the fourth over from where they could not recover.
Left-arm pacer Arshad Khan (3/22) claimed the wickets of RCB skipper Rajat Patidar (19), Krunal Pandya (4) and Venkatesh Iyer (12), while Jason Holder (2/29) and Rashid Khan (2/19) also took two wickets each. Devdutt Padikkal was RCB’s top scorer as he scored 40 off 24 balls.
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