Controversy erupted as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi was given out for 'obstructing the field' during the IPL 2026 match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Sunday (April 26).

The incident occurred in the fifth over of KKR’s innings. Raghuvanshi played a shot off Prince Yadav and attempted a quick single, but was sent back by his partner, Cameron Green.

As Raghuvanshi was diving back to the crease, a throw from the fielder at mid-on struck him on his back, prompting appeals from LSG skipper Rishabh Pant and veteran pacer Mohammad Shami.

The third umpire reviewed the footage and deemed that Raghuvanshi had deliberately changed his running line to obstruct the throw from reaching the wicketkeeper.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi was visibly furious, argued with on-field umpires, and threw his helmet in anger following the decision.

The dismissal triggered a debate whether the third umpire was right to declare it out, or if the KKR batter’s action was an unintentional, instinctual movement while diving to make his ground.

Former India cricketers Virender Sehwag and Rohan Gavaskar opposed the decision made by the TV umpire.

During a discussion on Cricbuzz, Rohan argued that Raghuvanshi’s actions—turning and diving—demonstrated a lack of intent to stop the ball. He reasoned that if the batter had intended to obstruct, he would have remained stationary in the line of the throw, rather than diving.

"I think it's not out because of the way he turned, dived, and jumped. His eyes were not on the ball. He thought, 'I have dived, turned now, I want to dive.' It wasn't his intention to stop the ball. If he wanted to stop the ball, he would have stayed in one place because he was already in the line of the throw. The ball would have hit his body. But when he dives and jumps, it shows that this was unintentional. So, I believe it's not out," Rohan said.

Sehwag endorsed his views, saying Raghuvanshi's actions were natural for a batter trying to make their ground.

"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," Sehwag said.

"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 added.

The third umpire, however, deemed the change in running path to be significant, which falls under Law 37.1.4, which states a batter can be given out if they change direction and obstruct a field attempt, even without explicit intent to block.

Coming to the match, KKR defeated LSG in the first Super Over of the IPL 2026 season. Both teams finished on 155 runs and then the visitors outplayed the hosts in the one-over eliminator.

Sunil Narine delivered a masterclass in the Super Over, conceding just 1 run while taking the wickets of Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram in only three balls. KKR chased the target of 2 runs on the very first ball, with Rinku Singh smashing a boundary off Prince Yadav.