Unruly scenes spoilt a scintillating Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 match between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Friday.
Chasing a mammoth target of 223 runs, Delhi Capitals were looking down the barrel with 157/6 in the 16th over. But with big-hitter Rovman Powell in the middle, they still had an outside chance of pulling off a heist. And it looked like happening... until Pant lost his cool.
In the last over, Delhi needed 36 runs, or six sixes. Powell then hit Obed McCoy for three sixes off the first three balls. Half-way through. Then, a full toss was ruled legit by the umpire. That left Pant fuming.
Exercising his 'veto' power, the 24-year-old captain signalled his two batters in the middle to come back, to forfeit the match even as others in the Delhi camp, including Shane Watson, tried to cool things down.
Pant's action left Powell and Kuldeep Yadav rattled. Then, assistant coach Praveen Amre ran into the middle, apparently to convey the captain's message to the umpires. Head coach Ricky Ponting was, however, absent after one of his family members tested positive for coronavirus.
The incident left fans angry and sad, with many questioning Pant's behaviour.
Watch it here:
Here are some reactions:
After the match, Pant tried to justify his actions.
"Powell gave us a chance, I thought that no-ball could have been precious for us but it is not in my control. Yes, disappointed but can't do much about it. Everyone was frustrated (in the dugout) that it was not even close, everyone in the ground saw that, I think the third umpire should have interfered and said it was a no-ball," Pant told the broadcasters.
As it turned out, the remaining three deliveries yielded only a couple. Delhi lost the match by 15 runs.
"Obviously it wasn't right (sending Amre onto the field) but what happened with us is also not right, it happened in the heat of the moment. It was the fault from both sides and it is disappointing as we have seen some good umpiring in the tournament," Pant added.
Earlier in the match, Jos Buttler hit his third century of IPL 2022.
The win helped Sanju Samson & Co go top of the IPL 2022 points table, at least for 24 hours. They now have ten points from seven matches, with five wins.
