NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Tim David has been handed a fine after he was found to have “disobeyed” an umpire’s instruction during RCB’s IPL 2026 match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
The incident took place in the 18th over of RCB’s innings. David struck Hardik Pandya for a massive six that sailed over deep mid-wicket, and the impact noticeably changed the ball’s condition. The on-field officials responded by requesting a replacement ball. As a box of used balls was brought out, David picked up one of the balls and started to handle it. Despite repeated requests from the umpire to hand it back, he continued to play with it for a short spell, which appeared to clearly frustrate the official. The umpire was seen urging him to return the ball multiple times and looked visibly irritated before David eventually complied after a brief delay.
The IPL also noted a second lapse in the same match. It said David ultimately handed the ball back, but that the matter did not end there. In the 20th over, at 19.2, he again did not return the ball to the umpires, leading to what the league described as a repeated failure to follow instructions issued by match officials.
In its statement, the IPL confirmed the punishment: “Tim David, Batter, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has been fined 25% of his match fee and has also accumulated one Demerit Point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials during Match No. 20 against Mumbai Indians (MI).”
The league further explained the background to the decision, stating that David wanted to inspect the ball and did not hand it over despite being asked repeatedly. It added that the second incident occurred during the 20th over (19.2), when he again failed to return the ball to the umpires, resulting in continued non-compliance with the officials’ directives. The IPL said David was found to have breached Article 2.4 of the Code of Conduct, which covers “disobeying an umpire’s instruction during a match.” It also stated that David admitted the offence and accepted the sanction from the Match Referee.
On the field, RCB set up a strong platform and ultimately secured the points. The franchise built a challenging total of 240/4, with captain Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli all contributing half-century knocks. In reply, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 222/5, leaving RCB to win by 18 runs.
