• UP Warriorz’s Chamari Athapaththu recently became a victim of a bizarre LBW dismissal due to a controversial Hawkeye projection during DRS.

  • Fans were left shocked after ball tracking showed three reds and Athapaththu was deemed out.

‘What a joke…’: Chamari Athapaththu’s controversial Joe Root-like LBW dismissal leaves fans bewildered in WPL 2024
Chamari Athapaththu becomes victim of controversial Joe Root-like LBW dismissal (Image Source: Twitter)

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The 11th match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 showcased a captivating and high-scoring showdown between Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz, marked by several stellar performances from players of both sides. However, the spotlight was unexpectedly stolen by a controversial Decision Review System (DRS) dismissal involving UP Warriorz’s Chamari Athapaththu, which left fans in shock and disbelief.

The controversial DRS dismissal involving Chamari Athapaththu

The incident occurred in the seventh over of the UP Warriorz innings when Georgia Wareham bowled a leg-spin delivery to Athapaththu. The ball struck Athapaththu’s pads, prompting a fervent appeal from Wareham and the RCB players. As the on-field umpire remained unmoved, RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana decided to go for a review after a brief discussion with her team.

Replays revealed a tossed-up delivery that dipped in front of Athapaththu, who missed the sweep and was hit on the front leg. UltraEdge confirmed no bat contact, but the perplexing moment came when ball-tracking displayed three reds, indicating that the ball would have hit the stumps. Athapaththu, visibly shocked, shook her head in disbelief, while Hawkeye suggested that the ball was hitting the middle stump despite it seemed to be going down the leg during normal replays.

Adding to the bewilderment was the fact that it was a leg-spin delivery bowled by Wareham, further confusing the situation. Despite protests and disbelief from Alyssa Healy at the non-striker’s end, Athapaththu had to walk back as per the rules.

Here’s the video:

Also WATCH: RCB players express gratitude at Chinnaswamy crowd after their last game at the venue in WPL 2024

 Parallels with Joe Root’s controversial dismissal

The dismissal of Athapaththu immediately brought to mind a similar incident involving England men’s cricketing stalwart Joe Root during the Ranchi Test between India and

England. Root, too, had found himself out due to a controversial hawkeye projection, where the ball in the replay seemed to pitch outside the line, but the technology deemed it to be falling in line. The uncanny resemblance between the two dismissals raised questions about the reliability of the DRS technology.

Fans question reliability of the DRS

Fans and experts took to social media platforms to express their disbelief and amusement at the bizarre incident, once again putting the DRS technology under scrutiny.

Here’s how netizens reacted:

Match summary:

In a high-scoring encounter, RCB posted an imposing total of 198/3 in their 20 overs. Opener Smriti;s scintillating knock of 80 runs off 50 balls, supported by Ellyse Perry‘s aggressive 58 off 37 and Sabbhineni Meghana’s brisk 28 off 21, set the tone for RCB’s innings.

In reply, UP Warriorz, despite a valiant effort by Healy’s quickfire 55 off 38 balls, fell short of the target, managing 175/8 in their 20 overs. The disciplined performance of RCB bowlers, with Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, and Wareham claiming two wickets each, secured a comfortable win for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Also READ: New Zealand unveil women’s squad for the upcoming home white-ball series against England

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About the Author:
VISHWANATH HARIHARAN
Vishwanath Hariharan is Content Strategist at CricketTimes.com. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. From breaking news stories to in-depth features and opinion pieces, he has covered a wide range of topics. Vishwanath is very fond of watching cricket. Like many others, he too grew up watching, playing, and imitating his favourite players of the game. MS Dhoni is like a demigod to him. You can connect with him at vishwanath.hariharan@crickettimes.com and follow him on Twitter & Linkedin.