Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower has been penalised for breaching the Indian Premier League’s Code of Conduct during his team’s dramatic last-ball victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Sunday.
The IPL issued an official statement on Monday, May 11, confirming that Flower was fined 15 percent of his applicable match fee for a Level 1 offence under Article 2.3 of the tournament’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials.
Controversial Incident During RCB vs MI IPL 2026 Clash
The incident occurred during the 17.2 over of RCB’s tense run-chase at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur when Andy spoke aggressively with the fourth umpire after a contentious boundary call involving Krunal Pandya.
Facing AM Ghazanfar, Krunal lofted the ball towards wide long-on, where Naman Dhir took the catch near the ropes and parried it towards Tilak Varma while stepping over the boundary line. Tilak did not complete the catch and appeared to signal a six, perhaps mistaking Naman clipping one boot with the other for contact with the boundary cushions.
Replays, however, showed Dhir had not touched the cushions during the effort. Krunal, who was cramping up, did not attempt a run, and the delivery eventually resulted in a dot ball.
According to an official statement from the IPL, Flower was found in violation of Article 2.3, which pertains to the “use of an audible obscenity during a match.” Flower admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by Match Referee Amit Sharma, avoiding any further escalation.
“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,” the IPL said in a statement on Monday.
“Andy admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by Match Referee, Amit Sharma,” it added.
RCB vs MI IPL 2026 Match Context
The disciplinary action comes amid a rollercoaster night for the Bengaluru-based franchise. Despite the controversy in the dugout, RCB managed to pull off a sensational two-wicket victory on the very last ball of the game while chasing a target of 167 against Mumbai Indians.
Following their thrilling win in Raipur, RCB climbed to the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 points table. On the other hand, Mumbai Indians became the second team after Lucknow Super Giants to be eliminated from the IPL 2026 playoff race.
