A major controversy has erupted in the Tata Indian Premier League (Tata IPL 2026) after a shocking decision during the match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 26. Angkrish Raghuvanshi was given out for ‘obstructing the field’.
He was also punished by the IPL for his post-dismissal anger. Now the cricket world is divided over the controversial obstruction in on-field decisions. Many people believe that this decision was very harsh and unfair and now former ICC Elite Panel umpire Anil Chaudhary has given his decision.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi was given out in a shocking decision by the umpire.
The incident happened in the fifth over of KKR’s batting when Angkrish Raghuvanshi played a light shot and tried to take a single. But halfway through, the young batsman was sent back by his partner Cameron Green and had to return to his crease.
Also read: Angkrish Raghuvanshi gets double punishment from BCCI after outcry over obstructing the field out
Angkrish Raghuvanshi ran near the pitch area, turning and diving to save himself. At the same time, Mohammed Shami threw the ball towards the stumps and while diving, the ball hit Raghuvanshi’s pad.
Immediately, LSG captain Rishabh Pant and Shami appealed, claiming that the KKR batsman had blocked the throw. The decision went to the third umpire, who declared Raghuvanshi out for obstructing the field. This shocked everyone and spread disappointment in the KKR camp.
Anil Chaudhary’s different opinion on obstruction call
Now former umpire Anil Chaudhary has shared his opinion on this controversy. He expressed regret for Raghuvanshi, saying that the batsman was just trying to save his wicket and was not even looking at the ball when it hit him. He believes the decision could have been handled better.
Choudhary explained in a video posted on his Instagram handle: “All the issues related to Angkrish Raghuvanshi obstructing the field are under discussion. There are three or four very important things. Number one: change in direction. A batsman is not given out just for a change in direction. A deliberate change in direction has to be done deliberately.”
The umpire turned commentator further explained, “Because there are many cases where batsmen run straight without changing direction at all, they still cause obstruction. You have to look at the intention, you have to look at the impact, and you have to look at whether it is deliberate or not.”
“The batsman ran, stopped and then turned; he went in the other direction at the same speed, and a batsman has very little time. It is not possible for a batsman to run in a perfectly drawn straight line, and when a batsman plays straight, he often keeps looking at the ball.”
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It was not out: Anil Chaudhary criticizes controversial call
Chaudhary has emphasized that if you look at the incident in real time, people may have different opinions about the verdict, but according to him, Angkrish Raghuvanshi was “not out”.
The former umpire signed off by saying, “When he dived into the crease to make his ground, he wasn’t looking at the ball. I think it’s always beneficial to see ‘obstruction in the field’ in real time. If you see it in the replay, you might think it’s (obstruction), but if you see it in real time, you can form a slightly better opinion. It’s an opinion call. I personally felt ‘not out’ was a better call.”
