The poor performance of the Indian umpires came under spotlight after an embarrasing error from on-field umpires CK Nandan and Nitin Menon, who allowed Sunrisers’ David Warner take strike after hitting a boundary off the last delivery of 6th over against Mumbai Indians.
The incident happened in the first innings. Warner glided Jasprit Bumrah’s last ball of the sixth over to the third-man fence and then, surprisingly, went on to take strike off the first ball of the next over from Mitchell McClenaghan.
Neither Nandan nor Menon noticed the batsman’s mistake and surprisingly TV umpire YC Barde too did not bring it to their notice and Warner faced the first ball of the seventh over.
In the last game at this very venue, the same pair of on-field umpires was on duty when two MI batsmen were wrongly given out — the more glaring being the leg before decision against home team captain Rohit Sharma against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Sharma remonstrated with umpire Nandan and earned the wrath of the match referee who reprimanded him for breaching the IPL’s Code of Conduct.