Umpire Dharmesh Bhardwaj was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for assessment after being struck on the side of his face by a powerful Lakshay Thareja shot during a Delhi Premier League 2026 match between New Delhi Tigers and East Delhi Riders at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The incident occurred during the 18th over of New Delhi Tigers’ run chase on Monday. Thareja drove a delivery from Ashish Meena straight back down the ground, with the ball travelling towards Bhardwaj and hitting him in the face.
Bhardwaj struck during Tigers run chase
Thareja appeared shocked immediately after the impact. Bhardwaj was subsequently taken to the ICU for assessment following the blow.
It was not the first time the umpire had been struck during the ongoing DPL season. Bhardwaj had suffered another blow to his shoulder in an earlier match in the competition.
The incident came late in a chase that had already moved firmly in East Delhi Riders’ favour. New Delhi Tigers had been pursuing 193 after the Riders compiled 192/7 from their 20 overs.
East Delhi Riders build imposing total
East Delhi Riders established their platform through openers Vansh Mehra and Arpit Rana, who put on 62 runs in 5.4 overs. Mehra made 35 from 21 deliveries, while Rana contributed 33 from 22.
Mayank Rawat and Suryansh Raina maintained the scoring rate after the opening partnership was broken. Rawat struck four sixes in his 40 from 23 balls, while Raina added 33 from 21 deliveries to help take the Riders to 192/7.
Rishabh Sharma led New Delhi Tigers’ bowling effort with 3/34 from four overs. Laxman finished with 2/31.
Tigers fall short despite middle-order partnership
New Delhi Tigers made a positive start to the chase but regular wickets left them at 94/4 after 10.2 overs. Captain Himmat Singh and Thareja then added 48 for the fifth wicket as the Tigers attempted to rebuild their innings.
Rawat ended that partnership by dismissing Himmat for 31 from 20 deliveries. The Tigers were eventually bowled out for 156, giving East Delhi Riders a 36-run victory.
Meena, whose delivery was struck by Thareja in the incident involving Bhardwaj, finished as the Riders’ leading wicket-taker with 3/32 from four overs. Mayank Yadav contributed 2/9 from three overs as East Delhi completed the win at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
