The PSL 2026 season gave fans a shocking moment as Daryl Mitchell straight-up refused to face Usman Tariq because of his weird bowling style. After clips of the incident started to get viral, former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin jumped in to back Mitchell. This all went down during a game between Rawalpindiz and Quetta Gladiators. Every time Tariq got ready to bowl, Mitchell kept stepping away from the crease. It turns out Tariq has this odd pause in his run-up, and that little pause can throw a batter’s timing way off.

Daryl Mitchell followed Ashwin’s suggestion

Daryl Mitchell backed away from the crease twice before the ball was even bowled, and one of those times, the umpire called it a dead ball. Things got tense as Mitchell actually refused to face Usman Tariq at one point, and the umpires had to step in to cool everyone off.

Pakistani fans weren’t happy with Mitchell’s actions, but in India, Ravichandran Ashwin had his back. Ashwin tweeted that umpires need to sort out this kind of situation and keep track of just how long the batter takes to get ready. On the incident, Ashwin wrote on X, “Now it’s up to the umpires and match referees to time the pause for his delivery. If the pause isn’t consistent, then the batter has every right to move away. The captains & opposition batters should raise this issue with the umpires and match referees before the game begins. Well done Mitchell”.

During the 2026 T20 World Cup, the former Indian spinner argued pretty openly that if a bowler follows in an unpredictable pause, the batter has every right to step away. So, no surprise Ashwin backed Mitchell’s move here. Honestly, Daryl wasn’t just trying to be stubborn. He just wanted to make it clear that if he can’t predict when the ball’s coming, he’s not going to stand his ground. That puts pressure on umpires to pay attention to how consistent the bowler’s delivery is.

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