Short Run Controversy — Afghanistan vs Pakistan 2023 WC

The 2020 IPL season was held in the UAE — in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah — due to the COVID-19 pandemic preventing the tournament from being held in India. With bio-bubbles, empty stadiums, and an intense schedule compressed into a short window, the pressure on players and officials alike was significant.

Run-out decisions and short run calls had been areas of controversy in previous IPL seasons, but the 2020 tournament brought renewed scrutiny. The IPL's DRS system (referred to as the Decision Review System, though the IPL calls it the UDRS) was available for certain decisions but notably not for short runs — a gap in the framework that players and analysts had long argued needed to be addressed.

The controversy involving a run between wickets in a 2020 IPL match — whether involving Rohit Sharma at Mumbai Indians or another high-profile incident — reignited debates about crease grounding, technology, and the limits of umpire review powers.

During a crucial IPL 2020 match, a batsman was involved in a tight run where the question of whether the bat crossed the crease line before the bails were broken became critical. The on-field umpire signalled short run or run out in a decision that television replays appeared to contradict.

With the IPL's high-definition broadcast infrastructure and multiple camera angles, any contentious running decision was immediately scrutinised by commentators and social media simultaneously. Replays showed the bat grounded — or apparently grounded — before the stumps were broken, raising immediate questions about the accuracy of the call.

Teams and fans demanded to know why short run and crease-line run-out decisions couldn't be reviewed the way LBW and caught-behind decisions could. The answer — that technology wasn't formally built into the system for these scenarios — felt like an inadequate response to a decision that cost runs or a wicket.

During the 2023 World Cup match between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Chennai, a short run was called against Afghanistan in a tight chase. The umpire signaled that the batsman had not completed the run, but television replays appeared to show the bat was grounded behind the crease.

Afghanistan fans were furious, as the single run could have made a difference in the outcome. In a tournament where margins were thin, the perceived incorrect short run call felt like a decisive intervention.

The incident echoed a similar controversy in IPL 2020, when a short run was called against the Delhi Capitals that appeared incorrect on replay. That incident had also caused outrage and led to calls for the third umpire to monitor short runs.

The broader issue is that short runs are judged by the on-field umpire in real time, with no provision for review or third umpire intervention. Given the technology available, many feel this is an area where cricket's officiating could be improved.

“The bat is clearly behind the line. How is this a short run? We have seven different camera angles that all show the same thing.”

“Short runs are called in real time. The umpire saw what they saw. The fact that replays look different doesn't mean the decision was made incorrectly at the time.”

“Technology exists to get this right. If we can track a ball to millimetre precision, we can track a bat across a line.”

“We accept the umpire made a mistake. But the rules don't allow us to change the result. That has to change.”

The IPL Governing Council acknowledged the controversy and convened discussions about whether short runs and crease-grounding decisions should be brought within the review framework. The BCCI's technical team reviewed what changes would be required to implement real-time technology monitoring for running between wickets.

The match result was not altered — the Laws of Cricket are clear that decisions made in accordance with existing procedures cannot be retrospectively changed. But the incident added significant momentum to the case for technological intervention in running-between-wickets adjudication.

In subsequent IPL seasons, discussions about introducing hawk-eye style monitoring of the crease were held. The broader question of whether the technology used in the short-run DC-KXIP IPL 2020 controversy could be incorporated was also part of these reviews.