Angkrish Raghuvanshi in the middle (IPL photo) NEW DELHI: Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s controversial dismissal for obstructing the field during Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday has sparked a wider debate not only on the law but also on the “spirit of the game” and whether LSG captain Rishabh Pant should have withdrawn the appeal.The incident occurred when Raghuvanshi, who was attempting a quick single, was sent back and dived to reach the ground when the throw came from the infield. The ball hit him at mid-dive, leading to Mohammed Shami’s dismissal. After a recommendation, the third umpire sent him off citing a running line change.
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The Ashok Sharma Story: Inside the Village and House That Shaped India’s New Pace SensationAccording to the IPL’s Game Conditions (Article 37.1.4), a batting can be given out if it “significantly changed its direction without probable cause, thereby preventing a fielder from attempting to run out”, regardless of whether a run out was likely.Speaking to Cricbuzz after the match, former Indian cricketer Rohan Gavaskar disagreed with the decision and said, “I think it’s not out because when the ball came and the bat jumped, he wasn’t looking at the ball.“He wanted to make that dive. If he was looking at the ball, then he wouldn’t have dived because he knew if he dived, the ball would have hit his body. If he dived, that meant it was unintentional. So I would think it wasn’t out.”
IPL 2026: Should Rishabh Pant withdraw his appeal?
But the bigger question was whether Pant, as captain, could withdraw the appeal. Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag opined: “When you’re winning, you as a captain think we can let it go. But because Lucknow didn’t win, then they thought we could get that wicket and we’d get an advantage. So they appealed and according to the law it’s the right appeal.”“But we can say that in the spirit of the game they shouldn’t have done that. But when you made the law, where was the spirit of the game?”“But I will say it was the third umpire’s decision and he was watching it on TV. And when he dived, it wasn’t like he was looking at the ball … so it was really rough.” In the game, Sunil Narine and Rinku Singh starred as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Lucknow Super Giants in a thrilling Super Over in IPL 2026. Narine’s double strike restricted LSG while Rinku sealed the victory with a boundary. The win lifted KKR from the bottom of the points table after a thrilling match in Lucknow.
