Phonegate: LSG staff spotted using mobile during CSK clash

This incident was captured when Josh Inglis swept Akeal Hosein for a six. The man in question was spotted wearing the LSG jersey and talking on the phone. In a similar incident, Romi Bhinder, who is the Rajasthan Royals team manager, was spotted using a mobile in the dugout, which was also caught on camera. BCCI later fined RR’s team manager INR 1 Lakh for the infringement 

Many fans were aghast and shocked at the usage of mobiles near the dugout in the CSK vs LSG game. It was later revealed that the man wasn’t a part of the visiting side’s dugout. At the same time, there is no confirmation on where the said individual was seated when he was spotted by cameras. 

What is PMOA?

The term PMOA stands for Player and Match Officials Area, which falls under the strict Anti-Corruption guidelines. In this, the dressing room, player and official dugouts, the third umpire room, as well as the areas where the team has its dinner and more importantly, the rooms which house the match referee. 

Rules clearly suggest that people with authority can only enter these areas. Usage of mobile phones or any other device is also strictly discouraged. Even team owners or any other official are forbidden from entering these areas. Not just the IPL, but such measures are adopted even during international cricket and ICC events. 

Chennai Super Kings claim a close win in an exciting contest 

Speaking about the game, Inglis top-scored for the visiting side with 85 runs. Shahbaz Ahmed then gave the finishing touches with the bat, scoring 43 not out from 27 balls that helped Lucknow post a massive 203 runs on the board. History suggested that Chennai hadn’t chased down a 180-plus target since 2019. 

That changed, thanks to Urvil Patel’s knock of 65, which came off just 23 balls with two boundaries and eight huge sixes. The right-handed batter reached his fifty off just 13 balls, which is the joint-fastest in IPL history. Shivam Dube hit two sixes in the final over to seal the game for his side as they won the match by five wickets with four balls left.