Explained: Why Kohli’s dismissal against KKR was legal despite the ball hitting him above waist
Virat Kohli was dismissed controversially in the IPL 2024 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens on April 22. Here’s why the contentious decision given by the umpires was right.
RCB were chasing 222 against KKR at the Eden Gardens. The incident took place on the first ball of the third over, when Harshit Rana’s attempted slower ball ended as a high full toss. Virat Kohli tried to flick but got a leading edge, handing a straight-forward return catch to Rana.
The umpire initially deemed it out but referred the decision upstairs to check for a waist-high no ball.
Article 41.7.1 of the Match Playing Conditions for IPL 2024 classifies “any delivery, which passes or would have passed, without pitching, above waist height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease, is to be deemed to be unfair, whether or not it is likely to inflict physical injury on the striker” as a no ball.
Kohli was way out of the crease during his first point of contact with the ball. Replays revealed that the ball was clearly above his waist at the time, but the ball’s trajectory, when extrapolated to the popping crease, revealed that it would have dipped below Kohli’s waist.
In this instance, the ball was seen to be 0.92 metres above the ground at the popping crease – below Kohli’s waist, measured at 1.04 metres when he stands upright.
As a result, the ball was deemed legal, with Kohli given out for a seven-ball 18. The decision left him fuming as he had a go at the umpires on his way back to the pavilion.
As the contentious call generated a lot of reactions, Star Sports, the official TV broadcaster of the league, issued a clarification on the legality of the dismissal, highlighting the same.
Virat was indeed out as per the official rule book. 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.
In Kohli’s situation, while the ball was at waist height when he encountered it, as it crossed… pic.twitter.com/RHLHZpnnTg
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 21, 2024
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