Former India and Delhi Capitals Virender Sehwag has jumped to the defense of Kolkata Knight Riders batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi. During KKR’s encounter against Lucknow Super Giants on April 26, Raghuvanshi became only the fourth batter in IPL history to be given out obstructing the field.
Raghuvanshi hit a delivery from pacer Prince Yadav towards mid-on region and set off for a single, only to be refused by the non-striker Cameron Green. As Raghuvanshi made his way back to the crease, the throw from Mohammed Shami hit him.
In a match that would eventually have more drama, the third umpire ruled Raghuvanshi out for obstructing the field. He joined the likes of Yusuf Pathan, Amit Mishra, and Ravindra Jadeja in being the only players given out by that method in the IPL.
“A harsh decision has been made here” – Virender Sehwag
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Sehwag opined that Raghuvanshi got hard done by. He said that there was no deliberate attempt by Raghuvanshi to try to block the fielders, even if he did change direction while running.
“Every batsman looks at the fielder when the ball goes to them. You take one run, you take two runs, and you see which end is safer. If the throw was coming to the bowling end, there was no need to dive. But when you know the throw is coming to your end, then you will dive. Your eyes will naturally go towards the fielder.”
“It’s not that his eyes were on the fielder because he thought, ‘I am stopping something.’ He dived after that. So, I believe it’s not out. When he turned, he was looking at the fielder to see where the ball was coming from.”
“But after turning, he ran and jumped. He wasn’t looking at the fielder anymore, nor was his attention in front. In my opinion, a slightly harsh decision has been made here,” he said.
IPL playing conditions on obstructing the field
According to the IPL playing conditions, which include the MCC rulebook, clause 37.1.4 states that the dismissal mode is obstructing the field.
“For the avoidance of doubt, if an umpire feels that a batter, in running between the wickets, has significantly changed his direction without probable cause and thereby obstructed a fielder’s attempt to effect a run out, the batter should, on appeal, be given out, obstructing the field. It shall not be relevant whether a run out would have occurred or not,” states the IPL 2026 rulebook.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s wicket puts KKR in trouble
Angkrish Raghuvanshi was dismissed in the fifth over of the KKR innings, having made 9 runs in 8 balls to leave the 2024 champions tottering at 27/3. Despite Mohsin Khan breathing fire all over, Rinku Singh and Cameron Green steadied the ship.
Rinku eventually brought some respectability to KKR’s total with an unbeaten 83. But drama during the chase meant that the match ended in a tie.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi; next star for KKR
In IPL 2026, Angkrish Raghuvanshi has made 209 runs in 8 matches at an average of nearly 30 and a strike rate of 141. He is currently KKR’s second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He has also made 2 fifties, which is the joint-most for KKR this year alongside Rinku Singh. He has also hit the most fours for KKR this year.
After going winless for 6 matches, KKR have finally won two matches in a row. Their next match is on May 3 against an in-form Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad. KKR will definitely expect Angkrish Raghuvanshi to forget this incident and bounce back stronger.
