Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Tim David and Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya have been fined for separate breaches of the IPL Code of Conduct following their clash on Sunday, which RCB won by 18 runs.
David was fined 25 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point for a Level 1 offence relating to dissent. The Australian all-rounder breached Article 2.4 after twice failing to comply with umpires’ instructions over handing the ball back during RCB’s innings. The first instance came in the 18th over when he delayed returning a changed ball despite repeated requests, while a similar incident followed in the final over. David admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by the match referee.
Pandya, meanwhile, was fined Rs 12 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate, with this being Mumbai Indians’ first offence under Article 2.22 this season.
The penalties came in a high-scoring contest dominated by RCB’s top order. Phil Salt set the tone with a blistering 78 off 36 balls, while Virat Kohli anchored the innings with a 50 off 38 deliveries in a 120-run opening stand. Skipper Rajat Patidar then provided the late surge, smashing 53 off just 20 balls to lift RCB to a formidable 240 for 4.
Mumbai Indians kept pace for large parts of the chase, thanks largely to Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten 71 off 31 balls. Contributions from Ryan Rickelton (37), Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Pandya (40) kept the pressure on, although Rohit Sharma’s early exit after retiring hurt on 19 with a hamstring issue proved a setback.
RCB spinner Suyash Sharma played a crucial role in the middle overs, returning figures of 2 for 47, including a key double strike that checked MI’s momentum.
While the match delivered plenty of attacking cricket, the sanctions on David and Pandya underlined the IPL’s continued emphasis on discipline, particularly in maintaining respect for umpiring decisions and adhering to over-rate regulations.
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