Ravi Shastri's Swipe At RCB After Khaleel Ahmed Showed The Right Approach In CSK vs KKR Game
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been heavily criticised for their time-wasting act in the match against the Mumbai Indians.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri, who is performing commentary duties in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, was quick to point out the correct approach for an injured player during a match. While commentating on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) game on Tuesday, Shastri was delighted to see injured pacer Khaleel Ahmed decide to leave the field rather than calling physios onto the ground and extending the match duration-something Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) failed to do in their previous fixture.
Khaleel felt discomfort in his leg during the game against the Knight Riders, which saw him halt mid-run-up a couple of times. The left-arm pacer decided against pushing through and left the field for treatment, with Gurjapneet Singh finishing his over.
Shastri, closely analysing the match, was pleased to see Khaleel and CSK decide against wasting time, unlike RCB during their recent game against the Mumbai Indians (MI), which lasted four and a half hours.
"Rather than calling the physio and wasting ten minutes only to do the same thing, he has decided to walk off," Shastri said on air as Khaleel left the pitch, allowing the game to progress. During the RCB vs MI match, RCB's Rasikh Dar received treatment on the field three different times over the course of a single over, as the management decided against opting for a solution similar to the Khaleel-Gurjapneet swap.
Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar, who was commentating on the RCB vs MI match, was also left furious by the time-wasting.
"Just go off the field, get treatment, and then come back... This is the third time the physio has come in. Are we going to see the same thing over and over again?" a frustrated Gavaskar said on air during that match. Shastri echoed Gavaskar's sentiments on Tuesday as Khaleel and CSK showed IPL how such injury issues should be managed.Â
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Chennai Super Kings
Sunil Gavaskar