'It went for a six; it was a full toss and the umpire gave it a normal ball. But the batsman wanted it as a no-ball.'
Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson says the umpire's refusal to check a no-ball in the final over of the tense IPL match against Delhi Capitals, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, was very clear and he stuck to his decision.
Jos Buttler's 116-run knock, complemented by Prasidh Krishna's three-wicket haul, helped Rajasthan Royals beat Delhi Capitals by 15 runs.
With Delhi Capitals needing 36 runs for victory off the last six deliveries, Rovman Powell hit sixes off the first two of the over off left-arm pacer Obed McCoy. Off the third, he again hit a full toss for maximum. That full toss, according to Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant and their team management, was a no-ball, but the on-field umpire did not call it and even refused to consult the third umpire.
Pant threatened to forfeit the match and asked both Powell and Kuldeep Yadav to come off the field.
"It went for a six; it was a full toss and the umpire gave it a normal ball. But the batsman wanted it as a no-ball. I think the umpire made his decision very clear and stuck to it.
"We wanted to be around him (McCoy) and wanted to put a smile on his face. Not easy for a bowler after conceding three sixes. We wanted to change the plan so we took our time, to give the bowler a breather," said Sanju Samson, at the post-match presentation.
Following Friday’s victory, the inaugural (2008) IPL champions moved to the top of the points table with five wins in seven matches.
Chasing a mammoth target of 223 runs, Delhi were restricted to 207 for 8 and lost by 15 runs.
"The last game was a tough one, and this game too, with Powell hitting those sixes. It's important to stay calm and trust your teammates. You need to back yourself.
"Can't say anything about the toss. Losing the toss is working, so we'll like to stick to that. Don't think there was much dew, but the bowlers are experienced enough to bowl in these conditions," he added.
Samson played his 100th match for Rajasthan Royals and went on to notch over 5000 runs in T20s while scoring an unbeaten 46 off 19 balls, which included five fours and three sixes.
"(Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Yuzvendra) Chahal have been bowling well; touch wood we continue to do it. It is normal to drop catches; even I dropped one in the last match.
"I told the players how to recover from that in the team meeting. He (Buttler) has been playing well, and that's a crucial part in this format. DDP (Devdutt Padikkal) is a smart cricketer and there's a lot more to come from him," added Samson.
