The 12th season of the Indian Premiere League (IPL) has seen just four matches, and all of them have been nail biters even though the opener between CSK and RCB was a low-scoring one.
On Monday, chasing a target of 185, Rajasthan Royals were cruising towards victory against the Kings XI Punjab, courtesy opener Jos Buttler's blistering knock of 69 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. However, this wasn't the highlight of the game. The Kings XI were able to snatch victory from the jaws of Royals after its skipper Ravichandran Ashwin ‘Mankaded’ Buttler, what was later termed 'controversial and not in spirit of the game' by many.
The seasoned off-spinner ran out the Rajasthan Royals opener, who was at the non-striker’s end, on his delivery stride. The appeal was referred to the 3rd umpire, who signaled it OUT. This was the second time that Buttler has been dismissed in a similar fashion, as Sri Lanka's Sachithra Senanayake had run him out during an ODI match in 2014.
It's of course within the laws of the game, but has surely left the cricket world divided on the ‘spirit of the game’.
Here's a look at some of the responses:
Harsha Bhogle, who is widely acknowledged as the voice and face of Indian cricket, however said that irrespective of what Ashwin did, it was the umpire's decision. Let's have a look at some of his tweets..
The BCCI has also said that there is no need for it to step in. “There is no question of lecturing Ashwin on spirit of the game. He did what is permissible within the rules of the game. The umpires and match referees are there to ensure that players compete as per laws of the game,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.