A dramatic moment unfolded in the IPL 2025 season opener between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens, as Sunil Narine survived what looked like a clear hit-wicket dismissal—leaving RCB players visibly frustrated and fans divided over the decision.
The incident occurred during the 7th over of KKR’s innings when Rasikh Salam bowled a sharp bouncer that forced Narine to take evasive action. In the process, his bat clipped the stumps, lighting up the bails. However, the on-field umpires ruled Narine not out and signalled a wide due to the ball’s height.
The key detail behind the decision lies in the timing of the contact with the stumps. As per MCC Law 35.2, a batter is only out hit wicket if they break the stumps while playing the ball or starting a run. In this case, Narine’s bat hit the stumps after the delivery had already been collected by wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma, meaning the ball was considered dead and the play complete.
Despite the lucky escape, Narine was eventually dismissed for a quick-fire 44 off 26 balls, but the controversy added early drama to what promises to be an action-packed IPL season. (With inputs from Crictracker)
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