Why Mathews, Chase and Badoni dismissals came up at IPL captains' meet

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) presented video examples at the IPL captains' meeting to illustrate its interpretation of "complete control" for a fair catch. The presentation highlighted several past dismissals deemed illegal under this interpretation.

The cases included:

• Angelo Mathews (76) in a Test against Australia in Galle, February 2025. He was caught by Beau Webster off Nathan Lyon.
• Roston Chase (0) in a T20I against Bangladesh in Kingstown, December 2024. He was caught by Mahedi Hasan off Hasan Mahmud.
• Ayush Badoni in an IPL match for Lucknow Super Giants against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2024. He was caught by Harshal Patel off Adam Zampa.

BCCI chief match referee Javagal Srinath and umpires' panel head Nitin Menon clarified that all three were wrongly given out, as the fielders were not in "complete control" of their movement while releasing the ball after the catch.

The BCCI's Verdict on Each Dismissal

• Mathews' dismissal: 'The fielder was not in control of his movement while releasing the ball – NOT OUT.'
• Chase's dismissal: 'Clearly not in control of his movement as the ball is released. Catch has not been completed – NOT OUT.'
• Badoni's dismissal: 'Not in control of his movement as he throws the ball. – NOT OUT.'

These interpretations directly contradicted the original on-field and third umpire decisions that had given the batters out.

Match Context

• Mathews' wicket proved costly as Sri Lanka lost the Test and the series 2-0.
• Chase's duck contributed to West Indies losing the match by 80 runs and the series 3-0.
• Badoni's dismissal did not affect the match result, as LSG went on to win.

The Guiding Rule

The BCCI experts based their analysis on Clause 33.3 of the Match Playing Conditions (MPC), which states:

"The act of making a catch shall start from the time when the ball first comes into contact with a fielder's person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control over both the ball and his own movement."

The exercise served as a reminder to captains about incomplete catches and premature celebrations, while also highlighting how interpretations can vary among officials.

The presentation also included two examples of catches that were deemed legal by the BCCI experts: one from an ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Pakistan and New Zealand, and another from a T20I in Australia involving South Africa.