'How's that catch clean?' - Twitter in disbelief after third umpire adjudged Kane Williamson out against RR

Controversy has taken center stage in the ongoing IPL 2022 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. Coming out to chase a mammoth 211 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, SRH lost skipper Kane Williamson in the very second over of the innings and that too in a highly controversial manner.

It was a back-of-a-length delivery around off from Prasidh Krishna and Williamson had no answers. He edged the ball but seemed like getting a lifeline as wicketkeeper and RR skipper Sanju Samson couldn’t hold on to the catch. However, Devdutt Padikkal, standing at the first slip, was alert as he made a full-stretch dive to collect the ball on the rebound.

The decision was hard to make from naked eye as the on-field umpire went upstairs. While there was no question about Williamson edging the ball, the catch didn’t look clean to many as it seemed the ball has landed on the turf before Padikkal grabbed it. As the third umpire didn’t take long in making his verdict, a not-out decision was on the cards.

Kane Williamson’s early departure tighten RR’s grip over the game

However, contrary to the popular opinion, the decision was made in RR’s favour as Williamson walked back shell shocked. It can be massive moment in the game as Williamson is one of the finest batters going around and his IPL record is phenomenal as well. As SRH need to chase down a massive score, Williamson’s early departure is one of the last things they would have wanted.

Here’s the video:

Meanwhile, the New Zealand international departed after scoring just two off seven deliveries. Earlier in the game, a clinical batting effort from the Men in Pink took RR to 210/6 in their allotted 20 overs. While skipper Sanju Samson slammed a quickfire half-century, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal and Shimron Hetmyer chipped in with crucial contributions. Hence, SRH need to bat out of their skin to cross the line.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitterati reacted to Kane Williamson’s controversial dismissal: