Controversial run-out calls spark debate as Delhi Capitals edge Mumbai Indians in last-ball thriller

Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], February 16 (ANI): Three controversial run-out decisions played a pivotal role in Delhi Capitals' (DC) dramatic last-ball victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Vadodara. In all three instances, third umpire Gayathri Venugopalan ruled the batters not out, seemingly overlooking the moment the LED stumps first lit up as the point when the wicket was considered broken, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Commentating on the match, former India captain Mithali Raj expressed her view that two of these decisions concerning Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav should have gone in MI's favour.
"Pandey was given not out while the batter had the bat on the line," Raj said while speaking on JioHotstar after the match, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"When you dive and your bat first hits the ground [inside the crease] and then it [bounces up] because you have to dive full stretch, then it is not out. [But] with Radha Yadav, we can see the blade of the bat up. It is nowhere touching any part of the ground [inside] the crease [when the LED stumps light up]. That means she is out. The bat was never in the crease. That is pretty much out," she said.
According to Appendix D of the WPL 2025 playing conditions, specific guidelines define when the wicket is deemed broken when LED stumps are in use.
The first contentious decision involved Shikha Pandey, who faced her first delivery in the 18th over of DC's chase. After missing a wild swing, she attempted a quick bye but was sent back by Niki Prasad. A direct hit at the striker's end led to a run-out review. Replays revealed that Pandey's bat was on the crease line when the LED stumps first illuminated. However, the third umpire based the decision on a subsequent frame where the bails were fully dislodged--by which time Pandey's bat was safely inside the crease--resulting in a not-out verdict.
MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur was visibly displeased and engaged in a discussion with on-field umpires N Janani and Anish Sahasrabudhe. The bye reduced DC's target to 24 off 14 balls, though Pandey was eventually run out midway through the 19th over.
Just two deliveries later, another mix-up left Radha Yadav diving to reach the striker's end while Prasad was stranded mid-pitch. The throw was directed to the striker's end--had it gone to the non-striker's end, Prasad would have been clearly out. Wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia broke the stumps as Radha dived with her bat raised, seemingly not touching the ground beyond the crease line when the LED stumps first lit up. Yet again, the third umpire disregarded that moment, focusing on a later frame when the bails were completely removed by which time Radha had made her ground. She was declared not out and responded by hitting a six off the next delivery, reducing the equation to 10 runs needed from the final over.
With two runs required from the last two balls, Prasad was caught at deep midwicket, bringing Arundhati Reddy to the crease. On the final delivery, Reddy lofted the ball over cover, narrowly evading Harmanpreet's outstretched hands. As the batters scrambled back for the winning second run, Harmanpreet fired a sharp throw to Bhatia, who broke the stumps while Reddy dived full-stretch. Once again, the initial frame showed Reddy's bat on the crease line when the LED stumps lit up, but the third umpire relied on a subsequent frame, ruling that "the batter has made her ground before the wicket is completely dislodged." (ANI)