Umpiring Howler Cost Punjab Kings IPL 2024 Match Against SunRisers Hyderabad? A Fact Check On Viral Claim

The Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab Kings lost a close match in the IPL 2024 against SunRisers Hyderabad on Wednesday. Chasing a target of 183, Punjab Kings could manage 180/6 in 20 overs and lost by two runs. Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma kept the fight on till the last over but the Shikhar Dhawan-led team could not get over the line. However, a post by an X user is going viral where the person claims that Punjab Kings was robbed of two runs as a six by a batter was given a four. If those two runs would have been added to PBKS' final score, the teams would have been tied at the end of 40 overs of play and PBKS would not have lost in regulation time. The match would have then entered the Super Over.

"This was 14.4 ball from natarajan to jitesh. It was clearly a six but was given as a 4. Umpires didn't even check it thoroughly. What's the use of smart replays @IPL when these mistakes are happening. Raise your voice @realpreityzinta @imohitburman @PunjabKingsIPL," the user named @AbhishikthBds wrote. The person also presented two photos, taken from angle where it seems the ball hit the boundary line cushion. The host that JItesh Sharma hit was given a four but in case of a ball hitting the line directly, a six is given.

This was 14.4 ball from natarajan to jitesh. It was clearly a six but was given as a 4. Umpires didn't even check it thoroughly. What's the use of smart replays @IPL when these mistakes are happening. Raise your voice @realpreityzinta @imohitburman @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/ervotDPTt6

However, the claim is not correct. The angle from which the phot was taken made the visual deceptive. In fact the onfield umpires checked with the third umpires (as is the norm in case of contentious calls) before giving