The ongoing IPL 2024 season has seen an unusual turn of events with spider cams getting in the way of play on multiple occasions. The latest incident occurred during the PBKS vs MI match where a shot by Tilak Varma struck the spider camera during the last over.
The delivery, an off-pace ball from Harshal Patel, was swung away by Varma towards the on-side. However, it ended up hitting the camera, resulting in a dead ball. While the ball was re-bowled, MI went on to lose two crucial wickets off the last two deliveries of the innings.
Following the completion of the over, Mumbai finished their first innings with an above par total of 192/7. While Varma played a crucial knock of 34* off 18 balls, it was Suryakumar Yadav who did the bulk of the scoring. SKY scored his second IPL 2024 fifty, hammering 74 runs in 53 balls.
How spider cam has been causing stoppages in IPL 2024 thus far
This wasn’t the first time a spider cam impacted a PBKS game this season. Earlier, Liam Livingstone smashed a powerful six that collided with the camera, causing damage and forcing another dead ball decision.
Adding to these on-field disruptions, the match between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants also saw a delay due to a snapped spider cam wire. The incident happened in Jaipur, after the match between the two sides started, and three balls were already bowled by LSG’s Mohsin Khan.
The frequency of these occurrences highlights the need for a possible reevaluation of spider cam positioning or additional safety measures to ensure they don’t hinder the flow of the game.