A confusing moment during the Indian Premier League 2026 match between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings led to speculation over Nitish Rana’s dismissal, with some claiming it was a rare “hit-wicket” incident.
The moment occurred on the third ball of the 10th over bowled by Noor Ahmad. Rana played a shot towards backward square leg, where a fielder completed a clean catch. At almost the same time, the stumps behind the batter were seen disturbed, triggering debate among fans on social media.
Videos of the incident quickly went viral, with claims suggesting that Rana may have fallen onto the stumps before the catch was taken. However, replays indicate that neither Rana’s bat nor his body made contact with the stumps. Instead, the bails appeared to have been dislodged accidentally, likely due to the wicketkeeper’s movement.
According to the laws of cricket, a batter can only be given out hit wicket if they themselves break the stumps while playing the ball or setting off for a run. In this case, since the stumps were not disturbed by the batter, the mode of dismissal remains a catch.
The incident, while unusual in appearance, does not qualify as a hit-wicket dismissal. Rana was therefore out caught, and the disturbance of the stumps was incidental to the play.
