IPL 2020: ‘Umpire changed his mind by looking at Dhoni’s body language’, Warner on wide call controversy

Umpire Paul Rieffel changed his decision after Dhoni's angry reaction.

By Salman Anjum - 17 Oct, 2020

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni recently grabbed the headlines for venting out his frustration at the umpire's decision.

See Also: CSK fans angry over Harbhajan Singh's reaction to Dhoni- Reiffel 'wide controversy'

During the 29th match of IPL 2020, Dhoni questioned umpire Paul Rieffel over his wide call in the 19th over of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) innings and the latter instantly changed his decision.

SRH fans were unhappy over Dhoni's reaction to the call and they accused the CSK captain of bullying the on-field umpire. Although the decision didn't make much difference as CSK won the game comfortably by 20 runs, fans believe Dhoni can't get away with such antics every time.

Meanwhile, SRH skipper David Warner on Saturday (October 17) shared his thoughts on this controversy and also echoed the general sentiment that Rieffel changed his mind by looking at Dhoni’s body language.

"That day with MS (Dhoni), I know he would have been frustrated had it been called a wide. But the simple fact is it was a wide and the umpire was going to call a wide. And he changed his mind by looking at the opposition captain's body language,” Warner said on India Today e-Inspiration.

"I am not saying this because it was MS Dhoni but because the captain was in the sight of the umpire right behind him. He is behind there as wicketkeeper, so he can see that, he has shown his frustration. We all do that, at times, as captains, we all show our frustrations but at the end of the day, they can make their calls, how they make it. We just gotta respect that. So there is no point of arguing," he added.

Earlier, former West Indies pacer-turned-commentator Ian Bishop had defended Dhoni on this issue, saying it was Paul Rieffel mistake to change the decision at the last minute.

This wasn’t the first time MS Dhoni has protested against an umpiring decision. During the last year’s IPL, he was seen walking out to have an argument with umpires over a no-ball call in a game against Rajasthan Royals.

By Salman Anjum - 17 Oct, 2020

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