Cricket
21 Apr, 2025
Every year, the IPL matches come with frustrating controversial decisions! Especially in 2019, when CSK faced RR — the only time Dhoni got so mad at a call that he actually got fined.
Even with DRS available to support decision-making, some umpires still overlook the clear evidence and end up making blatantly wrong calls.
Let’s take a wild ride through the most outrageous umpiring blunders in IPL history. Some of these are straight-up comedy. The kicker? You’re not even allowed to call out the refs 😅.
In cricket, an umpire’s call can easily shift the outcome of a match — sometimes even sparking arguments between players and umpires!
Sometimes, just one No Ball decision can decide who wins or loses. It’s hard not to fight over that. Let’s break down the most common reasons for controversial calls in the cricket world:
On April 21st, 2024 — during Match 36 of the IPL — RCB took on KKR. Early in the game, Virat Kohli faced his 7th delivery when Harshit Rana bowled a super obvious waist-high slow ball. Kohli went for the shot and got caught out.
Everyone expected it to be called a No Ball — because full tosses above the waist must be called illegal. But guess what? The umpire didn’t even raise his hand. To make it worse, the third umpire reviewed it and still declared Kohli OUT. Like… seriously?
In the 2019 IPL, during a match between CSK and RR, CSK needed 18 runs in the final over to win.
Ben Stokes bowled a clear waist-high full toss, and umpire Ulhas Gandhe immediately raised his hand to signal a No Ball — but just a second later, the other umpire, Bruce Oxenford, reversed the call and ruled the ball legal.
The scene went wild. And the most shocking part? MS Dhoni, who had already been dismissed, stormed out of the dugout and confronted the umpires on the field! The controversial call nearly cost CSK the game.
This was also the first and only time Dhoni has ever been fined — he had to pay 50% of his match fee for that incident.
In the 2022 IPL, during a match between DC and RR, DC needed 36 runs in the final over to pull off a comeback.
Rovman Powell was on fire, smashing three consecutive sixes and giving DC real hope — until the third ball, which was clearly a waist-high full toss. That ball was clearly a No Ball, no doubt about it. But the umpire said it was fine. And when DC asked for a DRS review? The ump just said no. Seriously?
Captain Rishabh Pant was furious and even signaled his players to leave the field in protest. At the same time, assistant coach Pravin Amre stormed onto the pitch to confront the umpire — but the call stayed unchanged."
In the end, Pant and Amre were both fined 100% of their match fees, and Amre was handed a one-match ban.
In the 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan, a controversial LBW decision involving Sachin Tendulkar became the highlight of the match.
In the 11th over, Saeed Ajmal delivered a tricky off-spinner that struck Tendulkar right on the pads. The Pakistani team erupted, appealing loudly for LBW — and umpire Ian Gould didn’t hesitate. He gave Tendulkar OUT on the spot.
At the time, Tendulkar was the core of India’s batting lineup. If he had been dismissed there, India’s chances of winning would’ve dropped below 50%.
Luckily, Tendulkar immediately opted for DRS. Third umpire Billy Bowden reviewed the ball using Hawk-Eye, and it showed the delivery was angling down leg side — nowhere near the stumps. The decision was overturned, and Tendulkar was given Not Out in a huge moment of relief!
On April 30, 2021, during Match 26 of the IPL, PBKS faced off against RCB. PBKS bowler Riley Meredith delivered an off-cutter that appeared to brush RCB batter Devdutt Padikkal’s bat before being caught cleanly by the keeper.
The entire PBKS team instantly appealed for Caught Behind — but the on-field umpire shook his head and ruled it Not Out.
PBKS captain KL Rahul wasn’t having it. He immediately went for DRS, hoping UltraEdge would bring justice.
And guess what? UltraEdge clearly showed a spike as the ball passed the bat — solid proof that there was contact. But the third umpire just flat-out ignored it and still gave Not Out!
Like... is DRS just for show? Or is the umpire just playing favorites with RCB? Because honestly, PBKS were treated like they didn’t even matter. This match was a prime example of how IPL umpires sometimes have way too much unchecked power.
In the 2023 IPL clash between SRH and LSG, LSG bowler Avesh Khan delivered a ball that was clearly above waist height. The on-field umpire immediately called it a No Ball.
But LSG challenged the decision using DRS, and shockingly, third umpire Yeshwant Barde overturned the call, declaring it a Valid Ball instead!
The SRH camp was furious — especially batter Heinrich Klaasen, who was visibly upset. After the match, Klaasen didn’t hold back, blasting the umpires by saying: The standard of umpiring in the IPL is just poor!”
And guess what? That comment cost him — he was fined 10% of his match fee.
After going through these 6 worst umpiring calls in IPL history, don’t you feel like smashing your phone too? LOL. Out of the six cases, three times the team that benefited from the biased decision actually won!
Makes you wonder… could some umpires be placing bets on cricket themselves?
If you ever catch a controversial call mid-match, here’s a tip — head over to Vegas11 and place a bet on the team the umpire seems to be favoring!
With how things go, you’ve got a 50/50 shot at winning just by reading the bias.
Every year, the IPL serves up at least a few questionable calls — but honestly, nothing can kill my love for cricket.
(And just between us… on Vegas11, you can place live cricket bets for as low as ₹50. No wonder it's every newbie’s favorite cricket betting site!)
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The fine is calculated based on the player’s match fee, not their annual salary. The match fee is ₹1,000,000 per game. A 50% fine would be ₹500,000.
A No Ball is when the bowler violates specific rules while delivering the ball. The most common cases include overstepping the front line (Front Foot No Ball), or bowling a full toss that goes above the batter’s waist. When a delivery is ruled a No Ball, the batter gets a Free Hit and the delivery does not count towards the bowler’s ball count.
DRS (Decision Review System) is a technology-based review system used in cricket to help umpires make more accurate decisions. Teams can challenge the umpire's call, using tools like Hawk-Eye to analyze the ball’s trajectory, impact point, and movement.
In the IPL, teams can challenge certain umpire decisions such as LBW or catches. Each team gets up to two reviews per match. If the challenge is successful, it won’t be deducted. The purpose of a challenge is to use the DRS system (like Hawk-Eye) to verify whether the original decision was correct. If the challenge is successful, the original decision is overturned and a new decision is made based on the DRS findings.
Ashton Billin has been criticized for frequent controversial calls in certain seasons, making him one of the most error-prone umpires at the time. However, in reality, any umpire can make questionable calls during intense matches.
Virat Kohli, one of the most popular and skilled IPL players, has faced several questionable calls. Here are his top 3 most controversial ones: - 2016 vs RCB (LBW): Kohli was furious after being given out LBW, even though Hawk-Eye showed the ball was missing the stumps. - 2018 vs MI (Catch): Kohli was ruled out caught behind, but replays showed there was no contact with the bat. - 2020 vs DC (LBW): Kohli was given out LBW, but video evidence showed the ball never even hit his leg.
RCB is often considered the team that has suffered the most from controversial umpiring decisions, especially involving No Balls and LBWs. For example: - IPL 2016: RCB faced a wrong call against MI where Pollard was given out, but replays later showed the decision was incorrect. - IPL 2018: During another MI match, both Kohli and de Villiers were affected by questionable calls, which impacted RCB’s performance significantly.
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