Ishant Sharma has got himself into a bit of trouble during a recent IPL match. After his team, the Gujarat Titans, beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday night, he was fined 25 percent of his match fee and got a demerit point on his record for breaking the IPL’s code of conduct. It all boils down to an incident that happened during the game, which falls under Article 2.2 of the rules.
Ishant acknowledged his wrongdoing, admitting to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.2, and accepted the punishment handed down by the Match Referee. The IPL made it clear in a statement on Monday morning that when it comes to Level 1 breaches of the code, the Match Referee’s ruling is the final word.
So, what’s Article 2.2 all about? This part of the BCCI’s Code of Conduct talks about how players shouldn’t mess with cricket gear or anything on the field in a damaging way during a match. Basically, it covers actions that go beyond the typical stuff you’d expect in a game, like kicking or hitting the wickets or causing damage to parts of the venue, such as advertising boards or other fixtures. For instance, if a player swings their bat out of frustration and accidentally breaks something, that could land them in trouble.
In the match itself, Ishant didn’t have the best performance. He bowled four overs without taking a wicket and gave away 53 runs, while the Sunrisers managed to score 152 runs for 8 wickets, which is decent but not fantastic. Thankfully for the Titans, Ishant’s teammates were on fire. Mohammed Siraj took 4 wickets for just 17 runs and Prasidh Krishna added 2 more wickets for 25 runs, keeping the Sunrisers in check.
As for the batting side, GT captain Shubman Gill knocked an impressive unbeaten 61 runs off 43 balls, even though the pitch was a bit tricky. Thanks to his efforts, the Titans chased down the target in just over 16 overs, leading to a comfortable win. This victory pushed the Gujarat Titans up to second place in the IPL points table, while the Sunrisers found themselves at the bottom after losing their fourth straight match. Quite a turnaround for both teams!
