Beyond Kohli
For much of the Indian Premier League’s history, Royal Challengers Bengaluru symbolised a familiar contradiction.
Winning a last-ball thriller against Mumbai Indians may have pushed Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the top of the IPL 2026 points table, but the dramatic clash also landed head coach Andy Flower in trouble.
Flower has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the IPL Code of Conduct during RCB’s tense two-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians.
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The IPL confirmed in an official statement that Flower violated Article 2.3 of the Code of Conduct, which relates to the “use of an audible obscenity during a match”.
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The incident took place during the 17.2 over of RCB’s chase when Flower reacted angrily towards the fourth umpire following a controversial boundary decision involving Krunal Pandya.
Facing AM Ghazanfar, Krunal lofted the ball towards wide long-on where Naman Dhir completed a juggling effort before parrying the ball to Tilak Varma near the boundary ropes. Tilak appeared to signal a six, seemingly believing Dhir had touched the boundary cushions during the attempt.
However, television replays later confirmed that Dhir had managed to avoid contact with the cushions, resulting in the delivery being ruled a dot ball. Krunal, who appeared to be struggling with cramps, did not attempt a run.
According to the IPL Code of Conduct, Article 2.3 covers “words commonly understood to be offensive, obscene and/or profane” that can be heard by spectators or viewers through stump microphones or other means.
Flower admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by match referee Amit Sharma.
Despite the controversy, RCB pulled off one of the most dramatic wins of the IPL 2026 season, defeating Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a final-ball thriller.
The defeat also ended Mumbai Indians’ playoff hopes, making them the second team after Lucknow Super Giants to be eliminated from the IPL 2026 playoff race.
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