Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli has been punished for breaching the IPL’s Code of Conduct during a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday.
Kohli was reprimanded for hitting the boundary cushion and an empty chair near the RCB dugout with his bat while walking back to the dressing room after getting out for 33.
It all happened in the 13th over of the first innings when Kohli top edged a Jason Holder delivery to fine-leg fielder Vijay Shankar, who took a good diving catch to dismiss the RCB skipper.
Kohli shared a 44-run partnership for the third wicket with Glenn Maxwell. The Australian batsman went on to score his first half-century of the season. Maxwell’s unbeaten 59-run knock laced with five fours and three sixes helped RCB post a fighting total of 149/8 on a spin-friendly Chepauk surface.
RCB successfully defend 149 as they beat SRH by six runs. The Orange Army lost their seven wickets for just 27 runs. Before skipper David Warner’s dismissal for 54 in the 14th over, SRH were cruising towards victory.
Kohli accepts the Code of Conduct breach in IPL 2021
“Mr Kohli admitted to the Level 1 offence 2.2 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding,” said the IPL Governing Council in a statement.
Talking about his team’s thrilling win over SRH, Kohli said: “The wicket was never a belter and our execution under pressure was spot on. It kept getting tougher and tougher with the old ball. I tried to build the momentum with few boundaries in the powerplay.”
“I think Maxi’s innings was the difference for us. To be very honest, we are not over excited with wins this season,” stated Kohli in the post-match interview.