Lucknow, April 26 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Angkrish Raghuvanshi on Sunday became only the fourth batter in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 history to be dismissed for obstructing the field, during his side’s clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

The rare dismissal occurred on the final ball of the fifth over of KKR’s innings. Raghuvanshi, batting on nine off seven deliveries, punched the ball towards mid-on off pacer Prince Yadav and set off for a single before aborting the run midway after being told to do so by all-rounder Cameron Green.

In his attempt to return to the crease, Raghuvanshi made a turnaround from one side of the pitch to the other and was struck by the incoming throw. Seeing that, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant and his teammates immediately appealed for obstructing the field.

The matter was sent upstairs, where third umpire Rohan Pandit reviewed the footage and determined that the batter had clearly altered his running path while attempting to get back to his crease, thereby intentionally interfering with the throw.

The decision to give him out for obstructing the field left Raghuvanshi visibly upset as he argued with the on-field umpires. He struck the boundary cushion in frustration and threw his helmet away in anger on return to the dugout, with the rest of the KKR members left livid. Head coach Abhishek Nayar was in an intense discussion with the fourth umpire over the controversial dismissal, but nothing changed.

Raghuvanshi joined a short list of players to have been given out in this manner in the IPL. Before him, Yusuf Pathan (for KKR in 2013), Amit Mishra (for DC in 2019), and Ravindra Jadeja (for CSK in 2024) were dismissed similarly in previous editions of the tournament.

–IANS

nr/bsk/