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JAIPUR:Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s uncharacteristic outburst against a controversial umpiring decision led to the Chennai Super Kings captain being fined 50 percent of his match fee in Thursday night’s IPL match.

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Jaipur, April 12 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s uncharacteristic outburst against a controversial umpiring decision led to the Chennai Super Kings captain being fined 50 percent of his match fee in Thursday night’s IPL match. Hailed as Captain Cool during his trophy-laden years as India skipper, an unusually fired-up Dhoni stepped onto the field to remonstrate with umpire over a contentious no-ball call in a dramatic final over against Rajasthan Royals. “MS Dhoni, the CSK captain, was fined 50 percent of his match fees for breaching the IPL’s Code of Conduct during his team’s match against Rajasthan Royals at Jaipur,” the league said in a statement.

Confusion reigned in the last over after umpire Ulhas Gandhe signalled Ben Stokes’ waist-high delivery a no ball but the decision was overruled by square-leg umpire Bruce Oxenford, prompting Dhoni to enter the field and confront the umpires. 

Seeking clarity

The no-ball was eventually deemed a legal delivery but Chennai, needing four runs off the last ball, managed to win with a last-ball six from Mitchell Santner. “MS was after some clarity and it didn’t seem to be coming so he took the opportunity to go out and discuss it with the umpires. The rights and wrongs will be discussed by everybody,” Chennai head coach Stephen Fleming said.

“He was certainly fired up about the way the decision was handled and why it was overturned... and he wanted to get it clarified at a key moment,” he added.

Rajasthan’s Jos Buttler was not sure if Dhoni did the right thing in approaching the umpires. “Obviously tensions are running high in the IPL, every run counts and it was a big moment in the game,” the Englishman said. “But whether stepping on to the pitch is right, no, probably not,” he added. Former England captain Michael Vaughan was more outspoken in his criticism of Dhoni. “This is not a good look for the game,” Vaughan tweeted. “No place at all for a captain to storm on to the pitch from the dugout,” he said. — Reuters

DHONI ‘DID NOT OFFEND’ OXENFORD

New Delhi: It was on the word of square leg-umpire Bruce Oxenford that the match referee Prakash Bhatt decided to keep the sanction on MS Dhoni to just a deduction of his match fee. “When all the parties met in the match referee’s room after the game, Oxenford made it clear that he wasn’t offended by the CSK skipper’s act of walking on to the field and having a discussion on the no-ball being reversed,” a source aware of the developments said. While the umpire might have understood that the reaction came in the heat of the moment, it didn’t go down well with several former cricketers. — PTI

NOT A GOOD LOOK AT ALL

I know there’s pressure from owners and big money involved in the IPL but I’ve been very disappointed with the two incidents involving the skippers of there respective teams in Ashwin and MS Dhoni. Not a good look at all. —MARK WAUGH

The more pressure you put on them (the umpires), it’s going to be even more difficult. You know as long as the right call has been made, it is fine. Yes, in this tournament so far we have seen a few incidents where things have gone little out of hand, but as long as the umpiring is consistent throughout the game, then it should be ok.  —ZAHEER KHAN

You don’t walk on to the field. It’s not village cricket or U-10 cricket -- this is the IPL. You’re a player. I think Dhoni sometimes forgets that he’s a player. You’re not an official, you’re a player, and you can’t control the officials. It was a really bizarre look. —Shaun Tait

I can’t say I’ve seen this before. You will never see a captain storm on to the field to have a discussion with the umpires. Unbelievable. —Michael Slater

He’s got every right to go and speak to the fourth umpire, he’s got every right to speak to the match referee ... But walking in while the game is on is wrong. Just because you feel you’ve been wronged, you can’t go and do things which are not permitted. —Deep Dasgupta

Today IPL  Macth
Mumbai VS Rajasthan 4PM
Punjab VS Bengaluru 8PM

Star Sports 

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