The IPL's umpiring howlers

The 2014 IPL had its share of umpiring howlers with instances of them shunning technology and refusing help from their colleagues upstairs. ESPNcricinfo picks the incidents that stood out, though this isn't a comprehensive roster of incorrect decisions

Delhi Daredevils v Rajasthan Royals in Delhi/ Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Daredevils in Ahmedabad

Nothing may have gone right for Delhi Daredevils this season, but the one player who got away not once, but twice, with the umpires was their captain Kevin Pietersen. And the victims in both instances were Rajasthan Royals, across two meetings. The first incident occurred in Delhi. The ball from Rajat Bhatia brushed Pietersen's pads and rolled to the leg side. He immediately set off, then turned back but in the meantime the wicketkeeper, Sanju Samson, had hit the stumps direct at the batsman's end. Pietersen was struggling and the fielders appealed but bizarrely, the square leg umpire Sanjay Hazare decided not to refer it. It turned out that Pietersen was well short of his ground. Shane Watson and Bhatia briefly protested but to no avail. It was hard to fathom why Hazare refrained from checking it. Following the incident, he was removed from the umpire's panel for the rest of the tournament.

The second occurred in teams' second meeting, in Ahmedabad. Pietersen set off for a single from the non-striker's end and Unmukt Chand's underarm throw from backward point hit the stumps direct. There was no enthusiastic appeal from the Royals save for one who appealed from slip. But the umpire S Ravi merely smiled and chose not to refer it. Replays showed the bat was stuck to the ground inches short when the ball hit the stumps. Royals didn't have to curse their luck as they swept both games.

Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians, Eliminator, Mumbai

Perhaps the plumbest lbw of the tournament that was not given. Praveen Kumar bowled an inswinger to Dwayne Smith, who played all around it and was struck on the back leg in front of the off stump. Umpire Bruce Oxenford was not interested and Praveen's flabbergasted expression said it all. The in-form Smith, then on 6, scored 24 as Super Kings knocked Mumbai out of the IPL.

Controversial umpiring took the sheen off an earlier game between the two sides. A slower ball from Lasith Malinga pitched on middle and leg and struck Ravindra Jadeja in front of leg stump but it wasn't given. Praveen this time won an lbw appeal against Brendon McCullum but replays showed the ball missing leg.

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Hyderabad

The edge that wasn't. Gautam Gambhir's reaction to being given out got more attention and air time than the decision itself. Gambhir chased a full and wide delivery from Dale Steyn, looking to slam it over cover, and missed. The bat was nowhere near the ball but Nigel Llong upheld Steyn's confident shout. The ball did move, but only a second before it landed in Naman Ojha's gloves. Gambhir didn't stop swearing till he reached the dug out and on the way, flung his bat and gloves and continued muttering to himself after he took his seat. He then gestured to assistant coach WV Raman the huge gap between bat and ball.

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Mumbai Indians, Hyderabad

Not a dismissal or a let-off but an instance of the umpires nodding off between overs. Mumbai's Lendl Simmons took a single to long-off off the last ball of the 13th over and should have been on strike for the first ball of the next but strangely, his partner Ambati Rayudu took strike. The umpires failed to notice the error and it escaped the batsmen's attention too.

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Chennai Super Kings, Sharjah

One of the tournament's earlier shockers. Ben Hilfenhaus was bowling over the wicket to David Warner and landed the ball short and well outside the leg stump. The ball angled across and hit Warner high on the pads and he was on the hop as well. Warner was not out on two counts but the umpire Vineet Kulkarni was convinced the ball was not clearing the stumps. Hilfenhaus persisted with his appeal and Warner was stunned. Sunrisers had already lost Shikhar Dhawan earlier in the over, and Warner's dismissal left them with two of their top three in the hut inside three overs. For a team as top-heavy as Sunrisers, it was a big blow.