NEW DELHI: Ravichandran Ashwin has called for an urgent change to the Decision Review System (DRS) rules after a controversial final-ball incident during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians in Dharamsala on Thursday. The former India spinner took to social media to express his frustration after Punjab were denied a leg-bye despite successfully overturning an lbw decision on review in the final ball of their innings.
Ashwin's demand for rule change
“This wrong decision has cost Punjab a run, this rule needs to change ASAP! Just like how the Impact Sub is an IPL rule, the DRS reversal should also be brought into the IPL even if the ICC delays it for some reason,” Ashwin posted on social media.
Final-ball controversy sparks debate
The incident occurred when Jasprit Bumrah trapped Vishnu Vinod lbw with the final delivery of Punjab’s innings. The on-field umpire raised his finger, but the batter reviewed immediately. Replays showed the ball was missing the stumps, and the decision was reversed. However, because the umpire had initially given him out, the ball had already been declared dead, meaning Punjab were not awarded the leg-bye they had completed.
Ashwin pointed out that the incorrect on-field call effectively cost Punjab one run, reigniting discussion over whether the IPL should modify the playing condition independently of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Punjab recover to post 200
The incident capped a dramatic innings in which Punjab posted 200 for 8 after a collapse threatened to derail them. Prabhsimran Singh starred with 57 and shared a brisk opening stand with Priyansh Arya. But Mumbai struck back through Shardul Thakur, who claimed four wickets to trigger a middle-order collapse.
With Punjab slipping badly, Azmatullah Omarzai launched a late counterattack with 38 off 17 balls, while Vishnu Vinod and Xavier Bartlett added crucial runs at the death.
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