IPL 2026: Marylebone Cricket Club breaks silence on Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s ‘obstructing the field’ dismissal

The dismissal of Kolkata Knight Riders’ Angkrish Raghuvanshi during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Vihari Bajpayee Ekana Stadium was the talk of the town when the third umpire ruled him out on ‘obstructing the field.’ 

Angkrish Raghuvanshi joined a rare list of players in the history of the IPL to get out in that manner after the captain of the LSG side, Rishabh Pant, appealed when the ball hit the back of the right-handed batter, who changed his direction while going back to the crease.

MCC issues official clarification on controversial dismissal during IPL 2026

It has prompted the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to issue a detailed clarification on the ruling. The batter was sent back midway by his partner, Cameron Green, while attempting the sharp single. He turned around and tried to get back in the crease from the other side, which saw him being stuck with the incoming throw.

The third umpire ruled him out under Law 37. In its action, the MCC has reiterated that Law 37.1 deems that a batter would be out if they ‘willfully attempt to obstruct or distract the fielding side by word or action’ as they emphasized the intent behind the movement.

The MCC has explained that the batter began his run on the off side of the wicket but moved towards the middle of the surface once the throw came at him, before turning back on the leg side. That movement, which placed him between the line of the ball and the stumps, was addressed deliberately and was put in the scope of obstruction.

Raghuvanshi’s ‘obstructing the field’ decision sparks widespread debate among fans and experts

The KKR camp was totally shocked at the result of the review. Many believed that the batter should not have been out despite the throw coming towards Raghuvanshi. Their head coach, Abhishek Nayar, was seen to be engaged in an angry discussion with the fourth umpire on the decision.

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The Knight Riders went on to win the contest, making it back-to-back in their campaign thanks to another half-century from Rinku Singh and a superb super over from their evergreen Sunil Narine.

Law interpretation explained as incident becomes major talking point online

Addressing another common factor of the contention that the batter would have made his crease even if the ball had hit the stumps, the MC claimed that the likelihood of such a run-out is irrelevant. Unless the obstruction is aimed at preventing the catch, there is no factor of probability of the dismissal in the decision-making under this law.

The batter was fined 20% of his match fee for getting into an argument with the umpire after the incident, as he smashed the advertising board with his bat while heading back to the dressing room. He has also been handed a demerit point for breaching the IPL code of conduct.