Kamal Ghorui
Another breach in IPL’s code of conduct, MI’s batting coach Keiron Pollard penalised by BCCI during Mumbai’s thrilling win against Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Pollard has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee and received a demerit point, marking a formal addition to his disciplinary record.The offence falls under Article 2.3 of the IPL Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials, which pertains to the “use of an audible obscenity during a match.” The incident took place during the 19th over of the second innings when Pollard reportedly directed abusive language toward the fourth umpire.IPL issued a statement on Friday that read, “Kieron Pollard, Batting Coach, Mumbai Indians, has been fined 15% of his applicable match fee and accumulated one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team officials. Pollard 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 the 19th over of the second innings when Pollard used abusive language towards the fourth umpire. Pollard admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by Match Referee, Pankaj Dharmani.”Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 6 wickets with just 1 ball to spare in an IPL 2026 thriller at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala. Chasing a formidable target of 201, MI reached 205/4 in 19.5 overs, riding on an explosive unbeaten 75 from Tilak Varma. The loss marks the fifth consecutive defeat for Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings, severely denting their playoff qualification hopes.Punjab Kings posted a strong 200 after explosive knocks from Prabhsimran Singh (57 off 32) and late fireworks by Azmatullah Omarzai (38 off 17), despite a middle-order collapse triggered by Shardul Thakur’s superb 4/39 for Mumbai Indians.In reply, Ryan Rickelton’s blazing 48 off 23 gave MI a flying start before Tilak Varma produced a composed match-winning innings under pressure. Alongside Will Jacks’ quickfire cameo, Tilak guided MI through a tense finish, sealing a thrilling victory with a six on the penultimate ball of the match.
