West Bengal: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fast bowler Harshit Rana has been fined 60 percent of his match fees for violating the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s nail-biting four-run victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens.
An IPL statement revealed that Rana breached Article 2.5 of the IPL Code of Conduct during the match, resulting in fines of 10 percent and 50 percent of his match fees for two respective offences.
Though the specific details of the incident leading to the code of conduct violation were not disclosed in the IPL statement, it is speculated that Rana’s celebratory gesture towards Mayank Agarwal after dismissing him in the sixth over might have been the cause. Rana reportedly walked in front of Agarwal and blew him a flying kiss, which led to the breaches.
Acknowledging his actions, Rana admitted to the two Level 1 offences under Article 2.5 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct and accepted the match referee’s sanctions. The IPL reiterated that for Level 1 breaches, the match referee’s decision is final and binding.
Rana’s actions on the field drew widespread attention and criticism. His celebratory performance after dismissing Hyderabad batsman Hendrich Klaasen also faced scrutiny.
Despite the disciplinary issue, Rana showcased his composure by successfully defending 13 runs in the last over, securing KKR a victorious start to the season.
In the chase, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s efforts fell short as they concluded at 204 runs for the loss of seven wickets in pursuit of KKR’s target of 209 runs. Although Klaasen’s impressive 63 runs kept the contest intense, Hyderabad couldn’t surpass the finishing line.
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