Sunrisers Hyderabad spinner Zeeshan Ansari was denied a crucial breakthrough in bizarre fashion during their Indian Premier League 2025 match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. (Full Coverage | More Cricket News)
The young spinner, playing in his debut IPL season, had Ryan Rickelton caught at cover, only for the wicket to be overturned due to a rare wicketkeeping error by Heinrich Klaasen.
The incident occurred during Mumbai바카라s chase of 163, with Rickelton struggling to get going against Ansari. The left-handed batter miscued a shot straight to Pat Cummins at cover, and Sunrisers began to celebrate the breakthrough.
However, replays soon showed that Klaasen바카라s gloves had moved marginally in front of the stumps as the ball was delivered, leading to the third umpire calling it a no-ball.
What Does MCC Laws Say?
According to the Laws of Cricket, a wicketkeeper must stay completely behind the stumps from the moment the ball comes into play until it either touches the bat, the batter바카라s body, or passes the stumps.
바카라The wicketkeeper shall remain wholly behind the wicket at the striker바카라s end from the moment the ball comes into play until it either touches the bat or person of the striker, or passes the wicket at the striker바카라s end, or the striker attempts a run,바카라 says MCC Laws of Cricket.
If the law is breached, the umpire must indicate and signal it as a no-ball.
Klaasen바카라s minor transgression 바카라 with his gloves just ahead of the stumps 바카라 rendered the delivery illegal, handing Rickelton a lucky reprieve.
Rickelton made the most of the second chance, going on to score 31 runs. Ansari, who had impressed with his control earlier in the spell, ended with figures of 0 for 35 as Mumbai chased down the target and won the match by four wickets.
This wasn바카라t the only rare no-ball incident this week in the IPL. Just a day earlier, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc had overstepped the return crease with his back foot during the Super Over between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals. That too was flagged by the third umpire as a no-ball.
Spirit of Cricket Debate?
Klaasen바카라s positioning바카라moving his gloves forward바카라was likely an instinctive attempt to gain an advantage, either to react faster to a potential edge or to influence the batter바카라s mindset. There바카라s no evidence suggesting deliberate cheating.
Wicketkeepers often creep slightly forward, especially in high-pressure T20 cricket, to stay proactive. However, this was a technical violation of the rules.
Some might argue that Rickelton, having walked off assuming he was out, should have honored his initial instinct and not returned, especially since he believed he edged it. In rare cases, the spirit of cricket has been invoked when players "walk" (e.g., Adam Gilchrist in the 2003 World Cup) or refuse to capitalize on umpiring errors, prioritizing sportsmanship over personal gain.
Rickelton바카라s return was entirely within the rules. The no-ball call nullified the dismissal, and the laws explicitly allow the batter to continue. Refusing to return would have been akin to voluntarily giving up his wicket, which isn바카라t required by the spirit of cricket.
