IPL 2020: Was Sanju Samson really out? Fans question third umpire's controversial decision

After electing to bat first against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Abu Dhabi, Steve Smith-led Rajasthan Royals got off to a shaky start after losing first three wickets in the Powerplay itself. In the Match 15 of IPL 2020, Royals batting force was jolted by the departure of their three pivotal men.

RCB’s Isuru Udana, capable of achieving seam moment, drew first blood by dismissing skipper Smith in the third over. The RR skipper got a thick edge before the ball went on to shatter the woodwork. Speedster Navdeep Saini also struck in the next over as Jos Buttler nicked the ball to Devdutt Padikkal at the slip.

After the departure of both their leading overseas recruits, all eyes were on the in-form Sanju Samson. The Kerala stalwart has been in blistering form this season in RR’s opening fixtures. But to add to Royals’ woes, Samson was also shown the exit door. He went after scoring just 4 runs off 3 deliveries.

Fans argue that the ball had touched the ground

While trying to drive the ball through the off side, Samson ended up chipping it towards the bowler– Yuzvendra Chahal. The leg-spinner, regarded as skipper Virat Kohli’s go-to bowler, dived to his right and pulled off a spectacular catch to dismiss Samson.

The umpires, however, referred it upstairs to confirm if it was a clean catch. The soft signal was out but in the replays, it was unclear if Chahal’s fingers were under the ball. The third umpire, after checking it multiple times, decided in Chahal’s favour and asked the on-field umpire to stick to his decision.

Samson had to walk back in a disappointing way and that led to many fans on Twitter questioning the third umpire’s call. Many felt that the ball had touched the ground and the third umpire should’ve overruled the on-field decision. But the benefit of the doubt was given to Chahal instead of Samson.

Samson’s cheap dismissal was a huge wicket for Kohli’s bowling unit. After Samson’s departure, youngster Mahipal Lomror rose to the occasion and stitched a 47-run knock to steady RR’s sinking ship. The explosive pair of Rahul Tewatia and Jofra Archer hit a few sixes in the end as Royals ultimately were able to amass a respectable 154-run total on the scoreboard.

Here’s how fans reacted to Sanju Samson’s dismissal: