Delhi Capitals registered a brilliant 20-run victory over Rajasthan Royals in a high-scoring IPL 2024 match on Tuesday at the Arun Jaitely stadium. However, this match gained a lot of limelight due to the controversy regarding the dismissal of RR skipper Sanju Samson. Chasing 222, the RR skipper was dismissed in the 16th over after he was caught at long-on by Shai Hope. While completing the catch, Hope came extremely close to the boundary line and some replays suggested that there was a chance that he ended up touching the boundary rope with the ball in his hand.
But, the decision came in the favour of DC and Samson was declared out by the third umpire and had to depart for 86.
This became a controversial scene as even Samson got involved into a heated argument with the on-field umpires. Amid all this drama, former England batter Paul Collingwood stated that the third umpire should have checked a few more angles before delivering his decision.
"Goughy (Michael Gough) is a very good friend of mine. So I am going to defend him (chuckles). Maybe he could have given himself another angle, just to double-check. Because it was so, so close. Those decisions and those moments make a huge difference. So maybe he could have given himself a little bit more time," Collingwood told Star Sports.
"I know in the IPL, the organisers want to quicken things up, the umpires are being told that they have got to quicken the decisions. I think, on this occasion, a couple of more angles, just to clarify could have put everybody at ease. That might have been the best way to go," he added.
Talking about the incident, Samson was also fined 30 per cent of his match fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct.
"Samson committed a Level 1 offence under Article 2.8 of the IPL's Code of Conduct. He admitted to the offence and accepted the Match Referee's sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee's decision is final and binding," a statement from IPL.