Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Harshit Rana has been suspended for one match and had his entire game fee docked over a code of conduct breach in the Indian Premier League, a tournament statement said Tuesday.
Rana, an up and coming Indian quick, helped Kolkata to a big victory over Delhi Capitals by taking two wickets at his team's home Eden Gardens on Monday.
The IPL did not specify the reason for the harsh penalty, but said: "Rana committed a Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 of the IPL's Code of Conduct. He admitted to the offence and accepted the Match Referee's sanction."
It's likely Rana was handed the fine for his send-off gesture after he bowled Delhi's Abishek Porel in a key moment, with the batsman attempting a scoop only for the ball to crash onto the stumps.
Rana, who was hit by the batsman for two fours and a six in his first over, started to blow Porel a kiss after the dismissal but stopped short, and instead signalled the way to the dugout.
The 22-year-old Rana was penalised for the same offence in a match last month and fined 60 percent of his match fee for giving another player a flying kiss send-off after taking a wicket.
The action did not go down well with pundits, including match commentator Sunil Gavaskar, who said at the time "cricket can be played without these antics".
AFP