IPL 2023: ‘There is no cheating’- R Ashwin on LSG’s Krunal Pandya retiring hurt against MI

Krunal retired hurt in 16th over of LSG due to leg injury.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) stand-in captain Krunal Pandya led from the front in their crucial IPL 2023 match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) which is being played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, on May 16, 2023.

LSG was asked to bat first by MI captain Rohit Sharma who the toss. Deepak Hooda who opened the innings, was out for 5, while Player of the Match in the last game, Prerak Mankad copped a golden duck this match.

But captain Krunal Pandya made 49 runs in 49 balls with one four and six. But the innings was all Marcus Stoinis who slammed 89* in 47 balls with 8 sixes and 4 fours as LSG posted 177/3 in 20 overs.

However, after putting up an 82-run combination with Marcus Stoinis, Krunal left the field in the 16^th over of their inning. On the final delivery of the 16th over, Krunal Pandya attempted to complete a quick single but was seen hobbling and struggling to complete the single.

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After that, Krunal began to make his way back to the dressing room even though he didn't appear to be in much agony. He was seen on camera giving orders to the dugout while hobbling a little bit and climbing the stairs to the dressing area.  

However, tongues started wagging on social media calling Krunal’s decision to retire hurt unsportsmanlike as it brought out Nicholas Pooran to the crease.

Rajasthan Royals off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin would tweeted, “Retired out?” alongside the hashtag of the southpaw. To this, a fan reacted by stating utterly cheating under the tweet, to which Ashwin would respond, “The rules permit you to do it! There is no cheating.”

The rule of a batter retiring is stated under the MCC Book of laws section 25.4.

Per 25.4.2, “If a batter retires because of illness, injury or any other unavoidable cause, that batter is entitled to resume his/her innings. If for any reason this does not happen, that batter is to be recorded as ‘Retired – not out’.”

The next clause explains the aforementioned situation further, “If a batter retires for any reason other than as in 25.4.2, the innings of that batter may be resumed only with the consent of the opposing captain. If for any reason his/her innings are not resumed, that batter is to be recorded as ‘Retired – out’.”

However, Krunal Pandya came out to bowl when MI commenced their chase and bowled the first over as well.