The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2023 isn’t just proving to be an enthralling contest between the bat and the ball but also between players and officials. During the match between Dindigul Dragons vs Ba11sy Trichy in Coimbatore, two DRS reviews were taken on the same delivery, in a never-seen-before incident. It was India’s veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin deciding to review the matter for the second time on the same ball after the third umpire had overturned the on-field umpire’s decision following the batter’s DRS review.
The match between Dindigul and Tricy produced unprecedented scenes that left the entire cricketing world baffled. Bowling to R Rajkumar, Ashwin got the batter caught behind the stumps by the wicketkeeper. The batter decided to review the call immediately and the third umpire overturned the decision despite there being a huge spike when the ball passed the bat.
Probably thinking that the spike was from the moment the bat hit the ground, the third umpire flashed not-out on the big screen.
A bemused Ashwin decided to review the decision again by signalling for DRS. Ashwin’s act even triggered a debate with the on-field umpires. The third umpire once again ran the sequence of events to confirm if his decision was right. The decision remained not out.
After the game, Ashwin explained his decision to review the matter for the second time.
“DRS is new in the tournament. There was a spike just before the ball passed the bat. I was not quite happy, I thought they’d see with a different angle,” he said.
As for the match, Ashwin’s Dinigul won the game despite the DRS controversy, securing a 6-wicket victory against Trichy. Ashwin’s men were given a target of 121 runs to chase. They managed to reach the target in just 14.5 overs.
