Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi once again targeted the Indian Premier League (IPL), this time taking a dig at the TV umpire for giving Fakhar Zaman out on a contentious catch during the India v Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours stage match on September 21.

Although some still maintain that the ball bounced directly in front of Indian wicketkeeper Sanju Samson before entering his gloves, Zaman was caught behind on Hardik Pandya's bowling.

Speaking on a Pakistani TV channel, Afridi stated that the umpire chose to rule in favor of India since he plans to officiate in the Indian Premier League as well.

The third umpire even had to make the caught-behind judgment after reviewing a few slow-motion replays before ruling in favor of the Indian team. Zaman complained about the third umpire's call as he made his way back to the dressing room. The opening batter for Pakistan, in Afridi's opinion, was not out.

"Unhone IPL me bhi toh umpiring karni hai [He has to umpire in the IPL too]," Afridi said on Samaa TV, suggesting that the umpire was biased towards India.

Former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yusuf, who was also a part of the panel discussion, echoed Afridi's sentiments.

"They didn't even check many angles. Fakhar had hit three fours and handled Bumrah with ease in the first over. His wicket was crucial for India," Yusuf asserted. 

According to reports, Pakistan's manager, Naveed Akram Cheema, questioned the decision-making process that resulted in Fakhar's exclusion in an email addressed to the match referee and umpires.

After considering the full scenario, the TV umpire decided that Samson's fingertips were underneath the ball using a zoomer. Returning to the dugout with a score of 15(9), Fakhar shook his head in dismay.

The Pakistan team management alleged that the TV umpire did not consider all relevant factors before making its decision, according to Samaa TV.

Pakistan's objection focused on the fact that the umpire's call favored the fielding side even though replays showed a margin of error.

and that the evidence was not "clear and conclusive" enough to support dismissing Fakhar.

(ANI inputs)