WPL: LED bails must be fully dislodged to break wicket
What's the story
In light of controversial run-out incidents in the recent Delhi Capitals-Mumbai Indians match, the Women's Premier League (WPL) has announced a major rule change.
As per ESPNcricinfo, the league has told teams that for umpires to deem a wicket broken in run-out and stumping decisions, the LED bail must now be fully dislodged.
This amendment differs from the earlier playing condition where stumps were deemed broken as soon as the bails lit up.
Rule clarification
WPL's new rule: A response to LED bail issues
The revised rule was detailed in Appendix D of the tournament playing conditions, circulated to teams ahead of the season.
It reads: "where LED wickets are used, the moment at which the wicket has been put down shall be deemed to be the first frame in which the LED lights are illuminated and subsequent frames show the bail permanently removed from top of stumps."
This clarification comes after noticing that current batch of bails being used in this WPL have been lighting up even due to minor disturbances.
Umpire decision
Venugopalan's ruling sparked debate and rule change
The rule change was necessitated by cases where the bails lit up even when they weren't completely dislodged from stumps.
This resulted in third umpire Gayathri Venugopalan's final call in three run-out decisions during the Capitals-Mumbai match, which triggered widespread debate.
Her calls were based on when bails were fully off their grooves, in accordance with cricket laws stating a bail is completely dislodged only when it comes entirely off groove.
Information dissemination
Teams and officials informed about WPL rule change
Match officials were briefed about this rule change on the morning of the Capitals-Mumbai match, which was the second game of season.
However, teams were only notified about this significant amendment on day after match.
This delayed communication has added another layer to ongoing discussions surrounding these controversial run-out incidents in WPL 2025.
Controversy
Three contentious run-out decisions occurred during the contest
Three contentious run-out decisions occurred in the closing stages of the DC vs MI contest.
In all three instances, third umpire Gayathri Venugopalan ruled not out.
This was due to her not considering the LED stumps lighting up as the point at which the wicket should be considered broken.
Mithali Raj, said that two of those decisions should have gone in favour of MI - involving Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav - while speaking on JioHotstar after the match.
Game
Delhi Capitals down Mumbai Indians in WPL 2025
Mumbai Indians Women were defeated by the Delhi Capitals in match number 2 of the 2025 Women's Premier League on Saturday at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara.
Batting first, MI posted a score of 164/10 in 19.1 overs. Nat Sciver-Brunt scored an unbeaten 80 from 59 balls. Annabel Sutherland claimed 3/34.
In response, Delhi managed to get past MI's score. They won a last-ball thriller.