Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Harshit Rana has been fined 100% of his match fee and suspended for one match for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team's match against Delhi Capitals. Rana will now miss KKR's match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on May 3.
Although the IPL announcement didn't specify the reason for Rana's punishment, it could have been for his animated celebrations towards DC batsman Abishek Porel. Rana, who took 2 for 28 in KKR's seven-wicket win, dismissed Porel in the seventh over of DC's innings, giving the batsman a bit of a send-off as he walked back. Rana was subsequently charged with a Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 of the tournament rules. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the decision of the match referee is final and binding.
This was Rana's second breach of the code this season, having also been penalised in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad last month. In that match, Rana was fined 60% of his match fee for glaring at SRH batsman Mayank Agarwal after dismissing him.
KKR is currently second on the table with 12 points and an NRR of 1.096, the best of any team in the competition.