Virat Kohli 'No Ball' Controversy Explained | Why Was The RCB Star Given Out Against KKR

Virat Kohli's dismissal to an awkwardly high full toss became a major topic of discussion during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) one-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League 2024 on Sunday. (As It Happened | Scorecard)

What Happened?

Kohli facing his seventh delivery in the third over, was already on 18 as RCB aimed to chase a massive 223-run target set by KKR. Pacer Harshit Rana delivered a slow full toss which was around Kohli's waist height. The star better deceived by pace could only lob the ball back into Rana's hands for a simple catch.

The on-ground umpires referred the decision upstairs.

The replays suggested Kohli had met the ball above his waist. However, he was still given out. A livid Kohli walked back after having a heated discussion with the umpires on ground. The star batter was not at all happy.

RCB skipper Faf du Plessis also expressed his displeasure with the decision.

So if the ball was above Kohli's waist when he made the contact why was it not even no ball and why was Kohli given out.

Here is why.

Why Was Kohli Given Out?

The rule states that for a delivery to be considered a no ball, the ball must be at waist height as it crosses the stepping crease.

Since Kohli was standing outside the crease, the point where he made the contact with the ball did not matter. What mattered was where the ball would have ended up if Kohli was standing upright at the stepping crease.

As per the replays shown on air using the new ball tracking technology, the ball would have passed at 0.92 metres at the popping crease while Kohli's upright waist was measured at 1.04 metres.

So the ball was declared a legal delivery and the star RCB batter was adjudged out.

New Technology To Check Waist-High No Balls

To remove ambiguity from the waist-high no balls, IPL this year is using a new hawk eye ball tracking technology.

In this, the technology tells how high would the ball have been at the popping crease which is then measured against the height of the waist when a batter is in an upright stance. The waist height for every player was recorded by the organisers to improve decision making regarding such no balls.