The electrifying clash between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday took a dramatic turn in the 17th over of CSK’s chase, as a controversial umpiring decision denied Dewald Brevis a chance to review his LBW dismissal — a moment that could have altered the course of the high-stakes encounter.
The incident unfolded when South African speedster Lungi Ngidi bowled a full toss to his compatriot Brevis, who missed the ball and was struck on the pads. Umpire Nitin Menon, without hesitation, raised his finger to signal LBW. Brevis, appearing unsure, held a brief conversation with Ravindra Jadeja at the non-striker’s end. The delay in decision-making led to a shocking twist — the umpires ruled that Brevis had taken too long and denied CSK the opportunity to use the Decision Review System (DRS).
What further inflamed the situation was the absence of a visible countdown timer either on the broadcast or on the big screen inside the stadium. In DRS protocol, the batting team is allowed 15 seconds to challenge an umpire’s decision. However, in this case, fans and analysts pointed out that there was no way to confirm that Brevis had actually exceeded the time limit, raising serious questions about the transparency and consistency of officiating.
A visibly frustrated Brevis and Jadeja pleaded their case to the umpires, but to no avail. The young batter was forced to walk back, leaving CSK fans in utter disbelief.
Adding to the outrage, the replay and ball-tracking data revealed that the ball would have missed the stumps. The impact was shown to be an umpire’s call, and the ball was projected to go down leg — meaning Brevis would have been given Not Out had the review been allowed. This only intensified the backlash, especially on social media, where fans and experts slammed the inconsistency in umpiring standards.
Making matters worse, CSK fans quickly recalled a recent incident involving Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma, where the former MI skipper was allowed to take a review after the timer had clearly expired. The clock had hit zero, but the umpires still permitted the review — a clear example of double standards, CSK supporters argued.
This latest DRS drama could have massive implications in the playoff race, and calls for more transparency and uniformity in DRS timing enforcement are expected to get louder in the coming days. As things stand, CSK will feel hard done by — and rightly so.
