IPL 2024 DC Vs RR: Why Sanju Samson Was GIVEN Out By Third Umpire After Shai Hopes Controversial Catch?

The Delhi Capitals (DC) vs Rajasthan Royals (RR) clash in IPL 2024 saw a controversial moment when Sanju Samson was dismissed in the 16th over if the innings. Samson was batting on 86 and all RR hopes were pinned on him as 60 runs were still required off 27 deliveries. Samson was a crucial wicket for DC and they were pretty relieved to see his back as the RR captain was held at long on boundary. But the dismissal is still being discussed as many of the Sanju and RR fans feel the third umpire was wron to adjudge him out. RR could manage just 201 for 8 in 20 overs, losing the match by 20 runs.

What is the controversy?

Samson hit the ball down the ground but with not much elevation. Shai Hope, fielding at long on boundary, caught it at chest height. However, his legs were very close to the boundary cushions. So close that it appeared as if Hope’s shoes had brushed the cushions. Hope claimed the catch but the onfield umpire wanted to check the legitimacy of the catch by going upstairs and dialled Michael Gough, who was the man-in-charge for this game.

IPL has got rid of soft signal. Now, what is a soft signal? While the onfield umpire transfers the responsibility to make some decisions to third umpire because the naked eye could not grab some visuals, he or she used to call it out or not out. This was called a soft signal. The third umpire used to look at the replays to see if the onfield decision can be reversed or not. The onfield umpire makes this soft signal by keeping in mind various factors. IPL stopped using soft signals from 2021 IPL while ICC scrapped it in 2023 for contentious catches.

In Sanju’s case, umpire Gough was on his own to decide the fate of the batter. However, he himself needed to be fully assured that Hope had touched the cushions. While Hope’s feet were close to the ropes, the shadows created by them and the cushion was not making it very clear that the contact really happened. Umpire Gough stuck to the process and rules. There was no way he was going to get a clear picture. There was no soft signal here. Gough did not see any conclusive evidence to adjudge it not out.

After looking at the available camera angles, Gough could not reach to a conclusion that Hope had not taken a legitimate catch. The decision is not saying that it was a clean catch. Rather it is saying that there was no enough evidence to say that it was not a legitimate catch.