Punjab Kings' (PBKS) hopes of finishing in the top two of the IPL playoffs took a blow as they lost to Delhi Capitals (DC) by six wickets in Jaipur on Saturday (May 24).
The Shreyas Iyer-led side posted 206 runs on the board in 20 overs, but the Capitals batters chase down the total with three deliveries to spare.
After the high-scoring affair, PBKS co-owner Preity Zinta expressed her displeasure over one of the decisions taken by the third umpire, which she termed as unacceptable.
During the 15th over of first innings, PBKS batter Shashank Singh played a shot off Mohit Sharma straight down the ground. Karun Nair, positioned on the boundary, tried his best to save it but eventually signalled that the ball had gone for a six.
However, upon watching the replay from different angles, the third umpire came to a conclusion that Nair’s foot wasn’t touching the boundary line. Instead of awarding a six, only a single run was given.
Reacting to TV umpire's decision, Zinta wrote on X: “In a such a high profile tournament with so much technology at the Third Umpire’s disposal such mistakes are unacceptable & simply shouldn’t happen. I spoke To Karun after the game & he confirmed it was DEFINITELY a 6 ! I rest my case !”
Punjab Kings will now have to win their last league fixture against Mumbai Indians to stay in the top two spots. They will also hope that RCB or GT lose their last game, helping them reach the top two this season.
The top two spots in the team standings come with a cushion of playing one extra match at the playoffs stage, which gives the teams one more chance to qualify for the final in case of an off day in Qualifier 1.
