‘Wake up and put some people who actually can be a ref!’: Kris Srikkanth on the umpiring standards in Indian T20 League 2022

The umpiring standards in the Indian T20 League 2022 have been a big talking point for the fans and experts of the game. The former Indian batter and BCCI chief selector Kris Srikkanth has joined the critics recently. His reaction came after a shocking call from the umpire in the 31^st match of the tournament between Lucknow and Bangalore.

In the 18^th over of the Lucknow innings, Josh Hazlewood got away as he bowled the second delivery of the over way outside the tram-line. The striker Marcus Stoinis was visibly frustrated with the umpire’s call and did not shy away from expressing his disappointment after getting dismissed in the very next delivery. This turned out to be a match-turning event as Bangalore coasted to victory from this stage. Srikkanth while reacting to this did not shy away from using hard words while criticizing the standard of umpiring in the tournament so far.

Notably, the umpires have found themselves on the wrong side of discussions on a few occasions in the tournament. During the match between Kolkata and Delhi, opener Ajinkya Rahane was adjudged out in the first two deliveries and the decisions were overturned when referred to the third umpire. In another incident, Virat Kohli was controversially adjudged LBW even after a referral.

The standard of umpiring has thus not amused Srikanth and he is visibly disappointed with the same. He took to Twitter to express his discontent and asked the authorities of the tournament to wake up and employ officials who will be more competent in their job.

“What is happening with the umpiring @ITL, it’s quite pathetic and small bad decisions lead to big outcomes! Wake up and put some people who actually can be a ref!”- the former Indian cricketer Tweeted.

What is happening with the umpiring @IPL , it's quite pathetic and small bad decisions lead to big outcomes! Wake up and put some people who actually can be a ref! #RCBvsLSG

— Kris Srikkanth (@KrisSrikkanth) April 19, 2022

Speaking of the match between Lucknow and Bangalore, on the back of brilliant performances by Faf du Plessis and Josh Hazlewood, the men in red won the contest by 18 runs. With the win, Bangalore has made its way to the top two in the points table.