Abhishek Porel Out Or Not Out? Controversial Stumping Clouds Mumbai Indians' Win Over Delhi Capitals At Wankhede Stadium
The IPL 2025 clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium delivered high drama — but not just on the scoreboard. A highly contentious stumping decision involving Delhi's consistent batter, Abhishek Porel, quickly overshadowed MI's commanding 59-run victory that secured their final playoff berth. This incident has ignited intense debate among fans, pundits, and cricket analysts alike, putting the spotlight on the reliability of third-umpire reviews and the Decision Review System (DRS) in high-stakes IPL matches.
#MIvsDC #DCvsMI
Will Jacks to Abhishek porel, OUT. pic.twitter.com/p3vnWDADPP — 2012 Yugantham (@2012Yugantham) May 21, 2025
Delhi Capitals entered their chase of 181 with cautious optimism, but their innings soon stumbled, largely due to early breakthroughs by the Mumbai Indians' bowling attack. Among these, the dismissal of Abhishek Porel in the fifth over proved to be a pivotal moment.
Porel, who has been one of DC's standout performers this season, faced off against MI skipper Hardik Pandya's strategic bowling changes. With the ball gripping and turning sharply on a tricky pitch, Pandya introduced off-spinner Will Jacks to exploit the conditions against the left-handed Porel.
As Porel attempted to counterattack, he was lured out of the crease by Jacks' turn. In a flash, wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton whipped off the bails. The on-field umpire raised his finger, but the third umpire was called upon to verify the stumping due to its razor-thin margin.
Third Umpire Review Sparks Social Media Frenzy
The third umpire's review lasted longer than usual, with multiple camera angles showing conflicting evidence. Some replays suggested Porel's foot was slightly airborne when the bails came off, while others appeared to show it grounded behind the crease.
Traditionally, in such inconclusive situations, the benefit of the doubt goes to the batter. However, after a painstaking analysis, the third umpire ruled Abhishek Porel out, handing Will Jacks his first IPL wicket and securing Mumbai's third breakthrough inside the powerplay.
This decision ignited a social media storm, with fans and former cricketers expressing disbelief and frustration. Many questioned the accuracy and consistency of DRS reviews in IPL 2025, calling the ruling 'unfair' and 'inexplicable.' Hashtags like #AbhishekPorelNotOut and #MIvsDC trended as viewers dissected the footage frame-by-frame.
Impact on the Match and Playoff Implications
Beyond the controversy, Mumbai Indians' dominance was undeniable. The early wicket of Porel rattled Delhi Capitals, who were already struggling at 27 for 2 after four overs. MI's bowling unit, led by the clever variations of Hardik Pandya and the spin wizardry of Will Jacks, consistently applied pressure.
Mumbai's 59-run victory not only sealed their spot in the playoffs but also marked a significant blow to Delhi Capitals' campaign, effectively ending their chances of progressing further in IPL 2025.
Expert Analysis: The Need for Clearer DRS Protocols
This incident has reignited long-standing debates within the cricketing fraternity about the clarity and fairness of third-umpire decisions, especially in tight stumping calls. Experts argue for enhanced technology integration—like ultra-high frame rate cameras and improved sensor-based crease detection—to minimize such controversies.
Former players and commentators also stress the importance of maintaining the spirit of the game, urging umpires to lean towards the batter in cases of doubt to preserve competitive integrity.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Deccan Herald
BJP's tweet on RCB victory celebration a hasty one: C T Ravi
Addressing media persons on Thursday, he said the stampede in Bengaluru that claimed the lives of 11 cricket fans during the celebration of RCB team's victory in final of IPL-2025 after 18 years, was not an accidental incident.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
From celebration to tragedy: all in a day's work
There was victory in the air in Bengaluru on June 4. After a 17-year-long wait, the city's favourite franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), had clinched the trophy in the Indian Premier League (IPL) the previous night. The team was landing in Bengaluru from Ahmedabad, and a victory parade was being planned. For a city reporter, this meant a long day. At around 10 a.m., the reporting team got on a conference call to plan the stories. We discussed how the city had not slept after the victory, how fans from the city had travelled to Ahmedabad to watch the final match, and how people on the Internet had created a thousand different memes and reels. We also discussed threadbare how we would cover the proposed victory parade. We anticipated that the Central Business District (CBD), where our office is located, would be choked with vehicles from the afternoon as the victory parade was scheduled to begin after 3 p.m. While loyal newspaper readers may be willing to wait for more than a day to read about the celebrations that unfolded that night in Bengaluru, online readers move on to other websites if the stories they are looking for are not uploaded on time. So, before leaving for office that morning, I filed some stories on the fan frenzy, describing how firecrackers had kept the skies aglow the previous night, people had danced madly on the streets, and bike rallies had kept everyone awake. My plan was simple: get to office early, file the special stories for the day, and keep the evening free as a great deal of coordination was necessary for covering such a mammoth event. An army of interns was stationed at multiple points at the city to watch the parade pass by. By around 1 p.m., fans clad in RCB colours begin to gather in CBD. I noted it down to draw a timeline later in the day. By 3 p.m., I finished filing three stories on the celebrations for online. But shortly, the unexpected happened. As lakhs of fans gathered around the M. Chinnaswamy stadium and Vidhana Soudha, we first got the news that a woman had lost consciousness. Then, more bad news trickled in: a person had died due to a 'stampede-like situation'. My colleague immediately checked with her hospital sources and found that at least four people had died. Within an hour, seeing the raucous crowd, we knew that the numbers would climb into double-digits. It did not take too long for us to find out that 11 people had died, and most of them very young. The mood quickly shifted in the newsroom, just as it did in the rest of the city. We decided that the stories of celebrations would no longer be reported for the print edition. I frantically called the interns one after another to make sure they were safe, and asked them to come back to office. All the reporters in the newsroom breathed a sigh of relief when the last intern made it back to the office. Then it was the turn of senior reporters to fan out. One went to the stadium, another to the hospital near the stadium, and yet another to the mortuary at the government hospital. After gathering inputs from multiple sources, colleagues, and eyewitnesses, I wrote a detailed story on how the celebrations quickly turned into a tragedy. I ended up drawing a timeline, but it was not the one I had planned earlier. There were steady developments. Reporters kept filing stories — about the chaos, the mismanagement, the panic, and the grief — without a break. They filed enough stories to fill nearly all the city pages. At around 11 p.m., I was finally done with work. When I made my way back home, the air was heavy with mourning. The city, which had been alive with celebrations just 24 hours ago, had fallen completely silent.
NDTV
4 hours ago
- NDTV
"Just 24 Or 25...": Ex-India Star's Clear Verdict On Shubman Gill Becoming Test Captain
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Robin Uthappa has praised the selection committee for appointing a young captain in Shubman Gill for the upcoming Test series against England. Gill replaces the now-retired Rohit Sharma at the helm. Virat Kohli too is no longer part of the Test setup following his retirement from the format last month. Uthappa highlighted how Gill, 25, could end up leading the Indian team for the next decade or so if he manages to do well in England. "You have got to give tops to that selection committee because they have gone with foresight. Shubman is just 24 or 25 right now. If he gets this right, then you can see him leading the Indian Test side for the next 10 years, the next decade, and that leaves Indian cricket in great hands because he is a high-quality bat," Uthappa said on Star Sports. Uthappa praised Gill for his leadership during the recently-concluded IPL season, where he led Gujarat Titans to the playoffs after a disappointing first campaign as captain last year. "We have seen his captaincy evolve from last year to this year just in the IPL, just the way he led the Gujarat Titans, the intensity with which he functioned, the decisions he made on the field, and the way he stood up for his teammates with the umpires or anything that happened on the field," he added. Uthappa pointed a bright future for Gill as captain in international cricket. "He is going to be a great leader. He is a smart cricketer. He has got a good brain for the game. He understands his game deeply. He is very talented, and he is a nice human being. He has all the raw materials to become a really good leader," Uthappa explained. "The one thing I like about Shubman is that he will walk his talk as well. He is very organized and diligent around his training and his preparation, which will be a great example to other players. I think he is primed to take on the international scene by storm," he further pointed out.
