“Utter nonsense” - Stunned fans question umpiring standards in IPL 2024 after Sanju Samson’s controversial dismissal in DC vs RR clash
Fans had a completely negative reaction to Sanju Samson being given out in a controversial fashion during a IPL 2024 game between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Tuesday. The RR captain also looked dejected after the third umpire's decision didn't go in his favor.
The incident happened in the 16th over, when Samson tried to smash a half-tracker from Mukesh Kumar in the fourth ball of the over, but couldn't middle the ball. Despite some wobbly moments near the edge of the boundary dimensions, Shai Hope allegedly held on to the catch.
As per the third-umpire, Hope caught the ball cleanly, and Samson was deemed out. However, another angle showed that Hope's leg was allegedly touching the cushions, but the third umpire took the decision hastily.
After the final decision by the third umpire, as Sanju Samson was walking towards the dugout, he received input that the fielder had touched the ropes. However, with the 15-second timer already over, the keeper-batter was involved in a heated altercation with the umpires.
Watch the dismissal here:
Interestingly, fans pointed out that the third umpire took around three minutes to call a wide, but made his mind for Samson's wicket in a hurry.
Here's how the fans reacted to Samson's controversial dismissal:
"The decisions by umpires in this season are below average. Sanju samson catch was not clean. He has been given out without examining the catch properly," one fan commented.
"Even if Sanju Samson was out, the 3rd umpire should have taken the time to give the decision. Not the first time this has happened in this IPL season," another fan noted.
"Checking multiple angles for wide review and checking only one angle for a close boundary line catch! Just third umpire things!!" this fan tweeted.
Sanju Samson smoked eight fours and four sixes, before he was dismissed on 86 off 46.
Delhi Capitals keep their IPL 2024 playoffs hopes alive
The Delhi Capitals batted first and got off to flyer with Jake Fraser-McGurk (50) and Abishek Porel (65). In the end, Tristan Stubbs (41) provided a flourish to help the home team finish with a daunting total of 221. Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/25.
In response, Samson could only get support from Riyan Parag (27) and Shubham Dubey (25), as the Rajasthan Royals fell short by 20 runs. Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav did well to pick up two wickets each for the home team.
With this victory, the Capitals have now secured six victories in 12 games. They need to win their remaining two games to secure a place in the IPL 2024 playoffs.