“Ishant Sharma admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.2 and accepted the Match Referee’s sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding,” the IPL statement read. The exact reason for the penalties wasn’t mentioned in the statement, however, it looks likely that the expensive spell from Ishant might have induced a reaction of frustration from the senior bowler.
As per the IPL Code of Conduct, “Article 2.2 includes any action(s) outside the course of normal cricket actions, such as hitting or kicking the wickets and any action(s) which deliberately (i.e. intentionally), recklessly or negligently (in either case even if accidental) results in damage to the advertising boards, boundary fences, dressing room doors, mirrors, windows and other fixtures and fittings. For example, this offence may be committed, without limitation, when a Player swings his/her bat vigorously in frustration and causes damage to an advertising board.”
Ishant was the most expensive bowler on the day for the Titans conceding 53 runs in his four-over spell and went wicketless. This was his third-most expensive figures in the IPL and when put in context, his spell looks even more poor since the rest of the bowling attack gave away just 99 runs in the remaining 16 overs. However, it didn’t have much effect on the outcome as the Titans achieved their third consecutive win in the ongoing season.
