The Mumbai Indians captain, Rohit Sharma, was well down the track when the ball hit his pad but the 3m LBW rule in cricket didn’t save him
However, he was declared out lbw on review against Royal Challengers Bangalore and was sent on his way.
Wanindu Hasaranga smacked Rohit on the pad.
After an unfortunate loss in the previous game, Rohit moved himself back up to his usual starting slot with Mumbai Indians needing to score 200 runs to win. Ishan Kishan got the hosts off to a quick start, but Rohit struggled to get going and was on seven off eight balls when Wanindu Hasaranga smacked him on the pad.
Explained what is the 3m LBW impact rule in cricket and why was Rohit Sharma given out during MI vs RCB IPL 2023 match
Rohit had come a long way, but the pitch umpires decided not to call him out. But when Faf du Plessis decided to review, UltraEdge revealed that Rohit had not actually hit the ball. Rohit was sent on his way after a brief delay for ball-tracking, which predicted that the ball would have continued to hit the stumps.
The LBW which ROHIT SHARMA was Given Out that was NOT OUT. pic.twitter.com/ytQJgkQyq0
— ᴘʀᴀᴛʜᴍᴇsʜ⁴⁵ (@45Fan_Prathmesh) May 9, 2023
On his way back to the dugout, Rohit shook his head in dismay and took his time climbing the dressing room. His annoyance may have been caused by how far away he was when the ball made contact with the stumps; there was a specific DRS clause in effect to address such situations.
What is the 3m DRS lbw impact rule?
The IPL Playing Conditions’ Appendix D addresses umpire and DRS reviews. According to Clause 3.4.6.4 of Appendix D, in the following situations, a not-out judgement can be upheld even if the ball was pitched in line or outside off, hit the batter in line with the stumps or appeared to be headed towards the stumps.
The on-field decision will stand when the evidence shows that the ball was hit, the point of first interception was in line, and the ball was pitched in line or outside off but that the point of first interception was 300 cm or farther from the stumps or that it was more than 250 cm but less than 300 cm from the stumps and that there was less than 40 cm between the point of pitching and the point of first interception.
So, the possible conclusion is that the three-metre threshold must not have been reached to save Rohit because he was sent out on review while he was still a long way down the track. Possibly an unfortunate one, but not an unfair one.