Mumbai Indians batter Tim David and batting coach Kieron Pollard have been fined 20% of their match fee for breaching the IPL's code of conduct during their match against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on Thursday.
While the IPL did not reveal the details of the breach, ESPNcricinfo has learned that both Pollard and David were penalised for signalling from the dugout to the on-field batters to seek a review for a wide delivery.
The incident took place on the last ball of the 15th over when Arshdeep Singh bowled a full and angled delivery outside off stump that Suryakumar Yadav failed to connect. Suryakumar did not review it initially, but asked for one belatedly. Punjab Kings' stand-in captain Sam Curran walked up to the on-field umpire and it is understood he was querying whether 15 seconds had elapsed.
It is understood that the on-field umpires were clear about the Mumbai batters not looking in the direction of the dugout before asking for the review.
Later, the IPL sought the footage from the broadcaster to check for the sequence of events leading to the review. After confirming the Mumbai dugout had clearly prodded the on-field batters, the match officials informed the franchise about the breach.
The said clause applied in this case was 3.2.3 in the IPL playing conditions which states: "The two batters may consult with each other prior to deciding whether to request a Player Review. Under no circumstances is any player permitted to query an umpire about any aspect of a decision before deciding on whether or not to request a Player Review.
"If the on-field umpires believe that the captain or either batter has received direct or indirect input emanating other than from the players on the field, then they may at their discretion, decline the request for a Player Review. In particular, signals from the dressing room must not be given. Breach of this provision will be liable for reporting under COC."
As per a media release by the IPL, David and Pollard committed a Level 1 offence under Article 2.20, which covers all types of conduct that are contrary to the spirit of the game. However, it did not specify the offence.
Article 2.20 states: "When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable and/or accidental, shall be considered. Further, the person lodging the Report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lays, with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature (and hence a Level 1 offence) up to conduct of an extremely serious nature (and hence a Level 4 offence)."
Both David and Pollard admitted to the offence and accepted the match referee Sanjay Verma's sanction.
Mumbai, who went on to win the match by nine runs, are currently seventh on the points table with three wins and four losses from seven games. Their next match is on Monday, against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.