New Delhi: The second match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) was surrounded by three contentious run-out calls in the closing moments of the match with Delhi Capitals, the winner of the match, was at the favourable end of having all the decisions in their corner.
Mumbai Indians, the losing side, turned out to be disappointed as the last-ball run-out, a very closed one, didn’t help them to enforce the match to a super over.
Umpire’s decision based on LED lighting sparks debate
Gayathri Venugopalan was the television (TV) umpire (third umpire) and her decision to rule all three chances as ‘not out’ seemed to be based on the LED lightings not lighting at the point when the wickets were broken.
Shikha Pandey in the 18th over, Radha Yadav in the 19th over, and Arundhati Reddy on the final ball of the 20th over, were challenged for a potential run-out by Mumbai Indians. All three players survived the call as Gayathri, after observing multiple replays, ruled them ‘not out’ with the interpretation being that the stumps didn’t light up at the time when the bails were dislodged.
It soon turned out to be a matter of discussion among experts and fans on television and social media platforms. Former Indian captain Mithali Raj was of the opinion that two of those close calls – including that of Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav – should have been ruled in support of Mumbai Indians.
What does the rule says?
According to the Appendix D of the WPL 2025 playing conditions, which mentions how a run-out mode of dismissal can be adjudged involving LED stumps in the match.
“Where LED wickets are used, the moment at which the wicket has been put down shall be deemed to be the first frame in which the LED lights are illuminated and subsequent frames show the bail permanently removed from the top of the stumps,” the rule reads.
The second WPL match saw three contentious run-out decisions involving Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. Umpire Gayathri Venugopalan’s “not out” rulings, based on LED stump lighting, sparked debate. Former players like Mithali Raj and Mike Hesson criticized the decisions. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
