Virat Kohli has been fined half of his match fee following an outburst in response to being dismissed from an IPL match.
Kohli was caught and bowled by Harshit Rana of the Kolkata Knight Riders early in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s chase on Sunday, and the team went on to lose by one run at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.
However, the former India captain appeared confident that the high full-toss was above his waist as the umpires checked for a no-ball.
TV umpire Michael Gough declared it out after technology suggested that the trajectory of the ball dipped below the waist of the batsman, who returned visibly upset after exchanging words with the on-field officials.
An IPL statement said:
“Kohli committed a Level 1 offence under Article 2.8 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct. He admitted to the offence and accepted the match referee’s sanction.”
Images posted on social media showed Kohli engaged in a lengthy discussion with an umpire following the conclusion of the match. Pundits also offered their opinions on the dismissal.
Former India batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu expressed his disapproval of the call and called for a review of the rules.
Kohli has been the leading run-scorer in the recently concluded T20 tournament with 379 runs in eight matches. His team, Bengaluru, has remained at the bottom of the 10-team table with just one win.