Dinesh Karthik and KKR players argued with the umpires over the boundary being awarded to KXIP. (Source: BCCI/IPL)Confusion and bizarre scenes remained integral to Kings XI Punjab in this season’s IPL. After R Ashwin’s ‘Mankading’ of Jos Buttler, it was the turn of a no ball that proved to be a decisive moment in the second game against Kolkata Knight Riders and a lob to a fielder running away for a boundary as overthrow. The final outcome, however, saw KKR triumph by 28 runs over KXIP for their second win in a row. It took KKR to top of the IPL points table – ahead of Chennai Super Kings.
In the fifth over of Kings XI Punjab’s chase of a massive 219 run target, Prasidh Krishna bowled to Mayank Agarwal and the right hander took a quick single. As the ball came to Robin Uthappa, he lobbed it to Andre Russell at mid-on who seemed to lose sight of the ball in the floodlights.
As the West Indian scampered to avoid being hit with the ball, the leather went running to the boundary rope. The umpire signalled a boundary and that is when KKR players protested the decision with skipper Dinesh Karthik, Uthappa and the rest animatedly discussing what had happened.
It seemed that the throw from Uthappa to Russell indicated that the ball was dead with the run completely already between Agarwal and Sarfaraz Khan. However, the umpires believed the ball was still in play.
It did make matters murkier when the camera caught KXIP skipper R Ashwin walking along the boundary rope and having a brief chat with the fourth umpire who was seated between the dugouts. Thereafter, fourth umpire walkie-talkied the information to the on-field umpires who signalled a boundary.
The extra four runs didn’t prove to be the difference with Russell playing a role with the bat and the ball to steer KKR to win. Russell, who hit a sensational 19-ball 49 against SRH, bludgeoned his way to a 17-ball 48 to propel the home side to a massive 218/4 after being sent in to bat. He later took two wickets for 21 runs to help KKR restrict KXIP to 190/4 and emerge as the undisputed star of the match.
