Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi found himself in the thick of controversy during their IPL 2025 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Ekana Stadium. In a high-stakes moment during the 17th over of RCB’s innings, Rathi attempted to run out stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma at the non-striker’s end in what many believed was a textbook dismissal—only to see the third umpire rule it not out.
The drama unfolded after Rathi had already dismissed Jitesh Sharma on the first ball of the over, only for the delivery to be called a backfoot no-ball. Jitesh capitalised on the free hit with a towering six, adding to LSG’s frustration.
With 29 runs needed off 19 balls, Rathi tried to turn the tide in his team’s favour by executing a non-striker’s run-out—often referred to as a ‘Mankad’—before releasing the final delivery of the over. The replays clearly showed Jitesh Sharma outside his crease as Rathi dislodged the bails.
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However, third umpire Ulhas Gandhe declared it not out, citing that Rathi had crossed his delivery stride. Commentators later revealed that LSG captain Rishabh Pant had withdrawn the appeal, which added further intrigue to the situation.
RISHABH PANT WITHDREW THE APPEAL FOR THE RUN OUT.
– Jitesh was out, but Pant withdrew. Jitesh hugged Pant. ❤️#RCBvsLSG #RCBvLSG #IPL2025 #LSGvsRCB #LSGvRCB #IPL25 #RishabhPant pic.twitter.com/fa0w8pW9gJ
— Dinesh Verma (@DineshVerm1047) May 27, 2025
Former international umpire Anil Chaudhary weighed in on the controversy via a video shared by Star Sports. According to Chaudhary, the decision should’ve gone in LSG’s favour. “He (Rathi) removed the bails before reaching the point of delivery, much like Ashwin had done a few seasons ago. As per the laws, that’s out,” Chaudhary said. “Even though Rishabh Pant withdrew the appeal, the execution was correct under the law.”
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The IPL 2025 Playing Conditions, specifically section 38.3.1, support this interpretation. It states that a non-striker is liable to be run out if they’re out of their ground any time from when the ball comes into play until the moment the bowler would normally release the ball. The dismissal stands if the bowler breaks the stumps with the ball in hand before releasing it—even if the ball is not eventually delivered.
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While the final word rested with the third umpire, the incident sparked widespread debate about awareness of the laws and consistency in their application—especially in pressure-cooker playoff-like scenarios.
