NewKerala.com

RCB Coach Andy Flower Fined for Audible Obscenity in Heated MI Clash

Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower has been fined 15% of his match fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. The incident involved an audible obscenity directed at the fourth umpire during the 17.2 over of the match against Mumbai Indians. The dispute arose after a catch was not completed by Tilak Varma off Krunal Pandya's batting. Despite the controversy, RCB secured a thrilling last-ball victory to top the points table.

Key Points: RCB Coach Flower Fined for Obscenity vs MI

  • Andy Flower fined 15% match fee for audible obscenity
  • Incident occurred during 17.2 over with fourth umpire
  • RCB won last-ball thriller against MI
  • RCB tops table with 14 points, MI eliminated
3 min read

RCB head coach Flower fined for "use of audible obscenity" during match against MI

Andy Flower fined 15% match fee for audible obscenity during RCB vs MI IPL clash. Incident occurred after a disputed catch call in tense Raipur match.

"Andy was found to have breached article 2.3 of the IPL's Code of Conduct, which relates to 'use of an audible obscenity during a match.' - IPL Statement"

Raipur, May 11

Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for breaching the Indian Premier League Code of Conduct for "use of audible obscenity" during the tense, high-octane clash against Mumbai Indians at Raipur on Sunday.

A statement from the IPL said, "Andy Flower, Head Coach, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 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 to have breached article 2.3 of the IPL's Code of Conduct, which relates to "use of an audible obscenity during a match." The incident occurred in 17.2 over when Andy spoke aggressively with the fourth umpire.

During the second ball of the 18th over, Krunal hit a ball high in the sky, which was caught by Naman Dhir, who parried the ball back to Tilak Varma before he could cross the boundary, only for Tilak to give no reaction at all to the catch. A no-run was called on the ball after the checks on whether it was a six or not, and Andy was seen in an unusual animated avatar following the delivery.

Andy admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by Match Referee, Amit Sharma.

Coming to the match, RCB won the toss and opted to bowl first. The decision seemed to pay off when MI sunk to 28/3 within the powerplay courtesy of a Bhuvneshwar masterclass. However, Naman Dhir (47 in 32 balls, with five fours and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (57 in 42, with three fours and two sixes) built the innings with an 82-run stand, taking MI to 166/7 in 20 overs.

Bhuvneshwar (4/23) was the pick of the bowlers for RCB, with Josh Hazlewood (1/33) and Romario Shepherd (1/18 in three overs) also chipping in useful overs with the ball.

During the chase, RCB lost Virat Kohli (0) for a second successive golden duck and eventually sank to 39/3, with Deepak Chahar (2/33) dictating the game. However,

Krunal built a 55-run stand with Jacob Bethell (26 in 27 balls, with two fours) and another useful 38-run stand with Jitesh Sharma (18), reaching a brilliant counter-attacking fifty. However, Corbin Bosch (4/26) and Allah Ghazanfar (1/33) pulled off things with crucial wickets, removing Krunal as well, reducing RCB to 149/7 in 18 overs.

Romario Shepherd (4 in 11 balls), struggled against Jasprit Bumrah (0/20), leaving RCB with 12 to get in the final over. A flurry of extras from Raj Angad Bawa and a six from Bhuvneshwar helped ease the pressure despite Romario's dismissal, and RCB secured a last-ball win, with Rasikh Salam Dar (3*) hitting the winning runs.

With seven wins and four losses, RCB is at the top of the points table, with 14 points. MI is at the ninth spot with three wins and eight losses, eliminated from the playoff race along with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

N
Naveen S
Flower sahab ko pata hona chahiye ki IPL mein pressure ka maahaul hota hai, lekin aise gusse mein aake kuch nahi badalta. The fourth umpire was just doing his job. I appreciate that he admitted his mistake though—that's true sportsmanship. Still, 15% fine is light. Hope he learns and sets a better example for the players. 🏏
S
Shweta Y
As an RCB fan, I was thrilled with the win! But what a bizarre sequence of events—the catch, the confusion, Flower's reaction. 😅 Look, these coaches are passionate, and sometimes emotions boil over. But I wish he had controlled himself. Still, kudos to Bhuvneshwar and the team for pulling off that last-ball thriller. MI deserved better, but T20 cricket hai, anything can happen! 💜
R
Ravi K
Main toh kehta hoon, these foreign coaches sometimes forget they are in India. IPL mein thoda drama toh hota hai, lekin gaali dena? Not acceptable. Flower should be more professional, especially after Virat Kohli's similar incidents in the past. RCB is doing great this season, so let's focus on that. But honestly, I feel for MI—they fought hard despite being out of playoffs. Good spirit! 💪
T
Tanya I
I saw the video of Flower arguing—it was intense! 😳 But honestly, the umpiring decisions were confusing. How do you not give runs for a catch that was clearly parried back? It's not like this is football where you have goal-line technology wasting time. Anyway, fine is justified, but I hope the IPL also looks at improving consistency in such calls. Kudos to Krunal Pandya for his fighting fifty under pressure! 👏

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50