Was Virat Kohli's Dismissal Vs KKR A No-Ball? Rules Explained!

Virat Kohli argued with the on-field umpire after dismissal (AP)Virat Kohli argued with the on-field umpire after dismissal (AP)

Virat Kohli was caught and bowled by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fast bowler Harshit Rana off a high full toss during Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s chase of 223 in match number 36 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. 

Smoking 18 runs from just his first six deliveries of the innings, Kohli looked in great nick before he made his way back to the sheds in the third over.

Interestingly, Virat Kohli’s exit occurred amidst controversial circumstances, considering the RCB opener argued with the on-field umpire and alleged foul-play behind his dismissal. 

The legendary cricketer believed that the delivery sent down by Rana was a waist-high full toss, and should have been declared a ‘no-ball’ upon television inspection.

While the unfortunate incident divided the entire cricketing spectrum on social media, here at OneCricket, we unveil intricate details behind the legality (or lack of it) of the exact mode of dismissal.


Was Virat Kohli out or not out?

Virat Kohli received a high full toss from Harshit Rana in the first ball of the third over of the RCB innings. While the slower delivery was seemingly dipping towards Kohli, the RCB opener made contact with the ball, only for Rana to complete a smart caught-and-bowled. 

Notably, Kohli made his contact at the time when he was standing outside his crease.

In order to determine the outcome of the incident, television umpire Michael Gough used the new hawk-eye technology to track the ball, which determined that the ball would have passed the batter at 0.92 meters from the ground if he was upright at the crease.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli’s waist height was measured at 1.04 meters, indicating that the ball would have passed below the waist had he stood within his crease. The aforementioned outcomes determined that the delivery was indeed a legal one, thus justifying Kohli’s subsequent walk back to the sheds.

Despite Virat Kohli’s early dismissal, RCB almost pulled off a sensational heist at Kolkata, falling behind KKR’s 222-run total by just one run.

Faf du Plessis and co., having slipped to number 10 on the IPL 2024 points table, will now face SRH in match number 41 of the tournament on April 25.