MI-DC game run-out calls shift attention to the regulations surrounding LED stumps.

In the final moments of the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) last-ball victory over the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Vadodara, there were three controversial run-out calls. Gayathri Venugopalan, the third umpire, declared the wicket not out in all three cases, apparently failing to take into account the LED stumps’ illumination as the signal that the wicket had shattered.
As a pundit, former India captain Mithali Raj stated that MI should have won two of the rulings involving Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav. After the game, Raj stated on JioHotstar, “Pandey was given not out while the batter had the bat on the line.”

Because you have to dive full stretch, if your bat first strikes the ground [within the crease] and then [bounces up], it is not out. [But] we can see the bat’s blade rising with Radha Yadav. When the LED stumps light up, it is inside the crease and not in contact with any part of the ground. She is therefore out. Never once was the bat in the crease. That is essentially out.

In the 18th over of the Capitals’ chase, the Pandey incident occurred first ball for her. She attempted to steal a farewell after stepping over the stumps and missed a heave, but Niki Prasad sent her back. The striker was struck directly, and the run-out appeal was sent to the TV umpire after the hitters stole a bye on the deflection. When the LED stumps initially lighted up, Pandey’s bat was on the line, according to the replays. But by the following frame, when the bails clearly slid off the groove and Pandey’s bat was within the crease, the TV umpire had rolled forward and made her not-out call.

Two balls later, even though Prasad was also mid-pitch, Radha was diving to make her crease at the striker’s end due to another mix-up. Prasad would have probably been much short if the throw had gone to the non-striker’s end instead of the striker’s. Even as Radha dove with the bat face up, wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia shattered the stumps. When the LED stumps lighted up, it appeared that no portion of the bat touched the ground over the crease line. Once more, the umpire appeared to ignore this and base her call on the fact that Radha was safe by the time the bails clearly rose from their grove. She smashed a six on the next ball after being declared not out, reducing the equation.

Arundhati Reddy was brought in to face the final ball after Prasad holed out to deep midwicket with two required off the final two balls. It just managed to avoid Harmanpreet racing backwards after she chipped it over cover. As Reddy dove full-stretch, Harmanpreet sent a flat throw to Bhatia, who broke the wicket as the batsmen were resuming their chase for the second, and ultimately the winning, run. Once more, Reddy’s bat was on the line in the frame when the LED stumps initially lit up, but the third umpire determined that “the batter has made her ground before the wicket is completely dislodged” after examining further frames. The MI players didn’t appear to object, while the DC players rejoiced.