Those who officiate matches after matches rarely receive any media highlight
Be it the Indian Premier League (IPL) or any sports tournament in the world,
the media highlight is always about players and coaches. However, the rest of the workforce, who tirelessly work to ensure matches run smoothly, often go unnoticed. In fact, fans often overlook the umpires who guarantee fair conduct in matches.
As the IPL is in full swing, we’ve taken the liberty of highlighting two umpires who jointly hold the record of officiating the most IPL matches.
Anil Chaudhury
Hailing from Delhi, Anil Chaudhury made his international debut as an umpire in 2013 during the India versus Australia T20I match in Rajkot. In the next 12 years of his career, he officiated 12 Tests, 49 ODIs and 64 T20Is, coupled with 91 FC and 114 List A games. Not only in men’s cricket, but Chaudhury also officiated several matches in women’s cricket.
Chaudhury’s last international appearance was also in the India versus Australia game at Rajkot on September 27, 2023. The heavily experienced umpire retired from the profession after last year’s Ranji Trophy final and did not take part in last season’s IPL.
Tewatia’s bat under the microscope! 🔎
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 31, 2026
Anil Chaudhary breaks down the "Illegal Bat Law" & why every single bat must pass through the gauge. 👀#TATAIPL 2026 👉 #LSGvDC starts WED, 1st APRIL, 6:30 PM pic.twitter.com/j963oQ3b6p
Speaking to PTI in 2015, Chaudhury had shed light on his next phase of life, stating, “I have been commentating for the past three to four months. So, I was already in the transition phase. I have also been teaching umpiring and commentary via an online platform. As an umpire, I did around 15 games in a season; here, I would be doing more than 50 (matches). On air, former cricketers look at the game in their own way, and being an umpire, I have a different perspective on the game. It is fun.”
Sundaram Ravi
Jointly sharing the record with Chaudhury is Bengaluru’s Sundaram Ravi, who also officiated 131 matches but has not officiated an IPL game since 2024. Not much information is available about Ravi’s current whereabouts, but his last match as an umpire was a T20I between Oman and the UAE at Al Amerat on April 21, 2024.
He may not have played international cricket like some of his fellow umpires, but his passion for the game is no less. Get to know Sundaram Ravi in the latest episode of Know Your Match Officials!
Read: https://t.co/Zm57COK0dV pic.twitter.com/mX0XXB8RRe— ICC (@ICC) December 12, 2017
Ravi was only the second Indian umpire to be elevated to the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires in 2015, after Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, and remained on the panel till 2019. He was one of the 20 umpires at the 2015 Cricket World Cup and was also part of the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier in the United Arab Emirates. Overall, Ravi has officiated 272 matches as an umpire across formats in domestic and international cricket.
