Kings XI Punjab opener Chris Gayle was found guilty of breaching the Code of Conduct and subsequently fined 10 per cent of his match fee during his team’s seven-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals.
The Jamaican batsman had thrown his bat away in disappointment after he was dismissed by Jofra Archer on 99 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
“Chris Gayle, the Kings XI Punjab batsman, has been fined 10 per cent of his match-fee for breaching the Dream11 Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Code of Conduct during his team’s match against Rajasthan Royals at Abu Dhabi,” an IPL media release said on Saturday.
“Gayle admitted to the Level 1 offence 2.2 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct and accepted the sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding,” the release added.
Meanwhile, Gayle’s swashbuckling knock of 99 runs went in vain as Rajasthan Royals chased Kings XI Punjab’s total of 185/4 with nearly three overs to spare.
The win helped Rajasthan to climb up to fifth spot and remain in contention for a playoff berth in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Royals have similar figures as Kings XI Punjab with 12 points from 13 matches.
Ben Stokes, who had returned with 2/32 in Punjab’s innings, was the star with the willow as well. During Rajasthan Royals’ chase of 186, Stokes smashed 50 off 26 ball. Skipper Steve Smith (31 off 20 balls) and Sanju Samson (48 off 25) also made genuine contributions.