Watch: ‘I don’t think that’s in the MCC playbook, Sanga!’ – Umpires intervene after two players walk out to bat in IPL clash
Watch: There was confusion in the Rajasthan Royals dugout when two players walked out to bat after the fall of Sanju Samson’s wicket during their clash with Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday.
Shivam Mavi sent back RR skipper Samson for just one with the first ball of the second over of the chase. Samson clipped a length delivery to midwicket to reduce RR to 1-2 and put a dent in their chances. Shivam Dube, who had batted at four in the last two matches for RR, immediately started walking out after the fall of the wicket to take Samson’s place in the middle. He crossed the boundary rope but was called back by the team management as they wanted to send Anuj Rawat instead.
Dube started going back to the dugout with Rawat walking out instead but was stopped by the umpires as the rules book state that once a batter crosses the field of play, he cannot be recalled.
What made the incident even funnier was the presence of former MCC president Kumar Sangakkara in the RR dugout. The Sri Lanka wicketkeeper is the franchise’s team director for the season, and was the one who called back Dube after he had crossed the line of play, prompting commentator Simon Doull to cheekily state, “I don’t think that’s in the MCC playbook Sanga!”
What the rules state: According to MCC’s Law 25.2, “A batter’s innings shall be considered to have commenced when that batter first steps onto the field of play.”
