The Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has imposed a 10% fine on Virat Kohli, the prominent player of Royal Challengers Bangalore team, for violating the IPL Code of Conduct during the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday.
As per the advisory issued by the BCCI, RCB suffered an eight-run defeat against the four-time champions, and Kohli was found guilty of breaking the code.
The advisory stated, “RCB batter Virat Kohli has been fined 10 percent of his match fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.”
“Mr. Kohli admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.2 of the IPL Code of Conduct,” the statement further reads.
Although the advisory did not explicitly state the reason behind the fine, it is highly likely that Kohli’s aggressive celebrations after the dismissal of Shivam Dube, who scored 52 runs off 26 balls, were the cause for the violation. It was RCB fast bowler Wayne Parnell who dismissed Dube during the match.
In a similar incident, Mumbai Indians spinner Hrithik Shokeen was also fined for his celebrations and an on-field altercation with Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Nitish Rana.
Meanwhile, in the match on Monday, Chennai Super Kings scored a massive total of 226 for six after being asked to bat first, with Devon Conway scoring 83 runs off 45 balls, and Shivam Dube contributing a quickfire 52 runs off 27 deliveries.
In response, RCB managed to score 218 for the loss of 8 wickets, falling short of the target by eight runs. RCB skipper Faf du Plessis played a brilliant knock of 62 runs off 33 balls, while Glenn Maxwell contributed 76 runs off 36 deliveries, and together they put up a 126-run partnership for the third wicket, which gave RCB a fighting chance for a remarkable win.