BCCI Punishes RCB Kingmaker For Major IPL Code Of Conduct Violation

RCB [Source: AFP]

In a major development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL governing council have taken action against Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower after the IPL 2026 match between RCB and Mumbai Indians at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.

Meanwhile, RCB delivered an exciting performance and secured a thrilling two-wicket victory over MI, which helped them move to the top of the IPL 2026 points table.

Controversial Umpire Decision Created Tension

However, despite the win, RCB head coach Andy Flower has been fined 15% of his match fee for violating Level 1 of the IPL Code of Conduct for players and team officials.

The issue started during the 18th over of RCB’s batting innings after a disputed boundary decision. On the second ball of the over, Krunal Pandya hit the ball high into the air near the boundary line. Mumbai Indians fielders Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir tried to stop the ball, but confusion followed during the fielding attempt.

Naman Dhir, who was close to the boundary ropes, threw the ball back into play, believing he might touch the ropes. However, Tilak Varma failed to complete the catch cleanly. The third umpire carefully checked the replay to decide whether RCB should be awarded six runs.

Although the replay suggested that Naman Dhir had not touched the boundary cushion, the umpires decided not to award a six. This decision did not go down well with the Bengaluru camp. As a result, Andy Flower, along with team mentor Dinesh Karthik, approached the fourth umpire to protest against the ruling.

Also Read: RCB Qualification Scenario For IPL 2026 Playoffs After Win Vs Mumbai Indians

IPL Punishes RCB Head Coach

While Dinesh Karthik escaped punishment, the IPL officials believed that Andy Flower crossed the line during the heated discussion. Therefore, disciplinary action was taken against him.

The head coach later admitted to the offence and accepted the punishment imposed by match referee Amit Sharma.

In an official statement released on Monday morning, the IPL said: “Andy Flower, Head Coach of RCB, has been fined 15% of his applicable match fee for breaching Level 1 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials.

Andy was found guilty of violating Article 2.3 of the IPL Code of Conduct, which is related to the use of abusive or inappropriate language during a match. The incident took place during the 17.2 over when Andy had an aggressive conversation with the fourth umpire.” 

RCB Still Managed A Stunning Victory

Despite the drama, the controversial decision did not stop the defending champions from winning the game. Notably, the match turned into a nail-biting thriller that went down to the final ball.

Notably, RCB needed nine runs from the last three deliveries. At that crucial moment, Bhuvneshwar Kumar smashed a huge six off Raj Angad Bawa, bringing the Hosts back into the contest. Then, on the final ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Salam Dar successfully ran two runs to seal a dramatic victory.

With this important victory, the Bengaluru side reached 14 points from 11 matches and moved to the top of the standings. On the other hand, the defeat officially knocked Mumbai Indians out of the IPL 2026 playoff race.

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