Cricket fans watching the thrilling clash between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad were left stunned during a dramatic moment involving Zeeshan Ansari and Ryan Rickelton. The spinner thought he had claimed a crucial breakthrough when Rickelton was caught at cover, only for the umpire to intervene moments later. The dismissal was overturned — not due to a no-ball on the front foot, but because of a rare and lesser-known rule involving the wicketkeeper’s gloves.
As fans scrambled online to understand what just happened, here’s what actually led to the reversal.
In the 7th over of the chase, Ryan Rickelton attempted a release shot after being tied down for three consecutive dot balls. He lofted Zeeshan Ansari’s delivery straight to cover, where Pat Cummins took a sharp catch. Sunrisers Hyderabad began to celebrate, with Zeeshan picking up what would’ve been his first IPL wicket. But then came the twist.
The fourth umpire spotted something unusual and immediately flagged it. Replays showed that Heinrich Klaasenthe SRH wicketkeeper, had his gloves positioned in front of the stumps when the ball made contact with the bat. The on-field umpire declared it a no-balland Rickelton was called back, even earning a free hit on the next delivery. The bowler, understandably, was left disheartened.
As per the Laws of Cricket – Law 27.3a wicketkeeper is not permitted to encroach in front of the stumps until the ball either:
Specifically, Law 27.3.1 states:
If the wicketkeeper’s gloves or any part of the body are ahead of the stumps before these conditions are metit is considered illegal fielding. The punishment? The ball is called a no-ball.
This rule is designed to prevent unfair advantages like early stumpings or restricting the batter’s view unfairly. In this case, Klaasen’s positioning — possibly due to eagerness or a split-second misjudgment — cost SRH a wicket and handed MI a valuable reprieve.
It’s not often that this rule comes into play, but it reminds teams of the microscopic scrutiny in high-stakes tournaments like the IPL. With ultra-slow replays and vigilant fourth umpires, every millimeter matters — as Klaasen and SRH discovered the hard way.
So the next time you see a wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps, remember: they have as much to watch out for as the bowler or batter. One glove in the wrong place, and it could swing the momentum of the match.
