Published 20:05 IST, January 24th 2025
Chaos In Ranji Trophy, Umpiring Standards Under Scanner After Match Officials Call Ajinkya Rahane Back From Pavilion
Domestic officiating has come under intense scrutiny after the umpire's questionable call of bringing back Ajinkya Rahane from the pavilion during Ranji Trophy.

The Ranji Trophy has had undivided attention after Top Indian stars returned to participate in domestic cricket. However, controversy erupted during the Mumbai vs Jammu & Kashmir match-up, which featured cricketers like Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, and more in action. Questions erupted over the standard of match officiating after the umpires came under scrutiny over the questionable call to bring back Ajinkya Rahane. The action at the MCA BKC ground in Mumbai saw a lot of confusion and chaos, which also flagged the issues regarding crucial calls in domestic cricket.
Domestic Umpiring Under Scrutiny After Questionable Call Over Ajinkya Rahane
The drama unfolded during the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match, with Mumbai hosting Jammu and Kashmir. At MCA's 25th over in the second innings, the umpires declared Ajinkya Rahane out after wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan caught his shot down at the leg side. But after the Mumbai captain walked back to the pavilion, on-field umpires Navdeep Sidhu and Sundaram Ravi declared that pacer Umar Nazir Mir's delivery was a no-ball. At that time, Shardul Thakur was on the ground and was heading toward the pitch.
Shardul was asked to wait by the umpires as they were still checking on whether Nazir Mir had overstepped while throwing the delivery. After a while, the officials sent Thakur back, prompting confusion. Eventually, Rahane was seen coming out after being instructed to do so. Nitin Goel, the match referee & third umpire of the Ranji Trophy fixture, revealed that the confusion happened due to a lack of communication.
"When I tried reaching out to the umpire on the walkie-talkie, the umpire was on a different channel. So it took some time to communicate to the on-field umpire. Rahane himself appeared on the screen, indicating that he did not hear the umpires asking him to wait. It was a clear no ball and there was no doubt about it. I will send the relevant footage to the BCCI," Nitin Goel said as per Cricbuzz.
Mumbai Saved By Kotian & Shardul's Resilient Performance vs J&K
Ajinkya Rahane's second chance to bat did not last long as he was dismissed off Nazir Mir's delivery. J&K skipper Paras Dogra pulled off an immaculate one-handed diving stunner to take out Rahane from the play.
But the struggling Mumbai team was saved by a determined Shardul Thakur, who scored his second first-class hundred to pull the defending champions back from the edge. With Thakur scoring 113 and Tanush Kotian scoring 58 not out off 119 balls, Mumbai reached 274/7 at stumps on Day Two, leading by 188 runs.
[With PTI Inputs]
Updated 20:05 IST, January 24th 2025