In an interesting moment during Match No. 8 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Rohit Sharmapulled off a clever act to trick Delhi Capitals (DC) into
wasting a review against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Saturday, April 4 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The incident occurred during the ninth over when left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was bowling to Rohit, with Suryakumar Yadav at the non-striker’s end. On the fifth delivery, Kuldeep bowled outside leg stump, and Rohit attempted an aggressive shot. The ball appeared to take a deviation, leading to a loud appeal from wicketkeeper KL Rahul.
Rohit’s immediate reaction added to the drama which pushed DC to act on the action. He casually began to walk as if he had edged the ball, creating the impression that he was out. This prompted DC captain Axar Patel to opt for the Decision Review System (DRS), convinced by both the appeal and Rohit’s body language. However, replays revealed that the ball had only brushed Rohit’s pad, with no contact with the bat. As a result, DC lost a valuable review, while Rohit remained at the crease, having cleverly deceived the fielding side.
Speaking about the match, DC won the toss and elected to field, sticking with the same playing XI that secured victory against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on the back of Sameer Rizvi’s brilliant knock. MI, on the other hand, were dealt a setback as Hardik Pandya missed the game due to illness.
In his absence, Suryakumar took over the captaincy, with Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, and Corbin Bosch coming into the XI. MI had earlier begun their campaign with a win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium thanks to a brilliant knock by Rohit and Ryan Rickelton which brought them their first victory in the tournament.
With both teams entering the contest on the back of wins, they aimed to maintain momentum and add two crucial points to their tally.
