In an unusual start to the 56th match of IPL 2025 between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans at the Wankhede Stadium, the Decision Review System (DRS) was unavailable during the initial overs, drawing sharp remarks from the commentary panel and sparking online backlash.
The glitch surfaced during the second over of Mumbai’s innings when on-field umpires were spotted in discussion with MI skipper Rohit Sharma. Moments later, commentators Aakash Chopra, Anil Kumble, and Mohammad Kaif confirmed on air that “DRS abhi uplabdh nahi hai dono teams ke liye” (DRS is currently unavailable for both teams). Aakash Chopra sarcastically remarked, “Umpires jag jaiye,” voicing frustration over the lapse in preparedness.
At that moment, MI stood at 25/1 in 3.1 overs with Will Jacks batting on 16 (10) and Rohit Sharma on 7 (7). Mohammed Siraj had dismissed Ryan Rickelton for 2, finishing his two overs with figures of 2-0-21-1, while Arshad Khan maintained pressure with 1.1-0-4-0.
Though no official reason was cited, reports from the stadium indicated a technical issue caused the DRS disruption. It is expected to be restored as soon as the problem is fixed.
The early absence of DRS in such a high-stakes fixture triggered a wave of reactions on social media, with fans questioning the infrastructure and calling for better management. As of now, the BCCI has not released a formal explanation for the DRS outage.
