IPL 2020 | Did Umpire Reiffel Change His Mind To Call A Delivery Wide After CSK Skipper Dhoni's Heated Protest?

While CSK skipper MS Dhoni lauded the all-round efforts of his team for registering an impressive win over Warner-skippered SRH, there was a bit of a controversial incident which unfolded during the fag end of the match between Dhoni and umpire Paul Reiffel.

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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) finally managed to break their losing streak in the ongoing IPL 2020 with a 20-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a match played at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai. CSK's third win of the season helped them stay alive in the tournament and kept their chances of qualifying for the playoffs intact. While CSK skipper MS Dhoni lauded the all-round efforts of his team for registering an impressive win over Warner-skippered SRH, there was a bit of a controversial incident which unfolded during the fag end of the match between Dhoni and umpire Paul Reiffel. The incident happened in the 19th over of SRH's innings while chasing down CSK's 168-run target when it appeared that umpire Reiffel was about to signal a delivery from Shardul Thakur as wide after the seamer's mis-directed yorker went well outside the tramline. However, just as when the umpire was going to complete his signal, he stopped halfway and refrained from giving an extra. TV Replays showed that as Reiffel was about to declare the delivery wide, Dhoni protested angrily after spotting what the umpire was about to do. He charged forward and made a gesture with his hands which may have forced Reiffel to rethink his call. As per section 2.12 of the IPL match playing condition, “An umpire may alter any decision provided that such alteration is made promptly. This apart, an umpire’s decision, once made, is final.” Even the commentators were puzzled by Dhoni's sudden heated reaction and the bizarre turn of events that followed afterwards. “I’m almost dead certain that I saw his (Reiffel) arms start to go out,” Kevin Pietersen said during the match. “And there was a lot of shouting and screaming at him, and he sort of stopped his decision.”