Wide rules in cricket: Was it a wide ball in cricket match between KKR and RR in 2022 IPL?

Wide rules in cricket: There was quite some confusion during the penultimate Over of the match with Wide calls seeming harsh for the RR camp.

During the 47th match of the ongoing 15th season of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 7 wickets, as the former get another small lease of life going further into the tournament.

Chasing the target of 153 handed by RR, Kolkata got off to yet another poor start provided by their yet another set of openers – Aaron Finch (4 off 7) and Baba Indrajith (15 off 16), with both returning back within the Powerplay.

However, a couple of match-saving partnerships, first between Shreyas Iyer (34 off 32) and Nitish Rana (48* off 37) for the third wicket (comprising 60 runs) and then between Rana and Rinku Singh (42* off 23) for the fourth wicket (comprising 66 runs), meant that KKR managed to get over the line, and finally end their five-match losing streak in the season.

However, during the 19th Over of the chase being bowled by Prasidh Krishna, RR’s skipper cum wicket-keeper Sanju Samson was visibly unhappy with umpire Nitin Pandit on at least a couple of occasions, after the latter adjudged a couple of deliveries as ‘Wide’ with 18 runs required of the final two Overs.

Was it a wide ball adjudged by Nitin Pandit during the 19th Over bowled by Prasidh Krishna?

It all began on the third delivery of the Over, Krishna fired a wide delivery outside the off-stump to which the umpire ruled the delivery as ‘Wide’. Although the batter Rinku Singh did move a bit outside the off-stump, it was a marginal and perhaps a fair call.

However, one delivery later, Krishna bowled a short delivery outside the ‘Wide’ dictating line, to which Rinku shuffled quite far across, only for umpire Pandit to again signal it a ‘Wide’.

The shuffle by Rinku was quite far across, and Samson from behind the stumps was rightly annoyed with the umpire, and perhaps in fit of anger and desperation went for a caught dismissal DRS, but to no avail.

Again, on the final delivery of the Over, the bowler bowled a delivery way outside the Wide line, after Rinku shuffled yet again. This time too, the batter went almost towards the ninth or the tenth stump from his striking guard, as he failed to connect the ball by a whisker. The umpire, yet again, took no breather whatsoever, to rule it a ‘Wide’ for the third time, as a livid Sanju also fumbled to let the batters sneak in a Bye.

The RR skipper had a brief chat with the umpire, but again leading to no affirmative action.

Wide rules in cricket 

As per MCC’s Law 22.1 under the head ‘Judging a Wide’, law 22.1.1 states – If the bowler bowls a ball, not being a No ball, the umpire shall adjudge it a Wide if, according to the definition in 22.1.2, the ball passes wide of where the striker is standing and which also would have passed wide of the striker standing in a normal guard position.

Law 22.1.2 states that – The ball will be considered as passing wide of the striker unless it is sufficiently within reach for him/her to be able to hit it with the bat by means of a normal cricket stroke.

As per the aforementioned rules, the final two ‘Wides’ seemed to be harsh on RR, more so given the stage at the which the match was in. Having said that, it all boils down to the discretion of the Umpire, who has the final say.