Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower has been fined by the BCCI after a disciplinary incident during the IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians on Sunday. Flower was ruled to have breached Article 2.3 of the IPL Code of Conduct for players and team officials, following an aggressive confrontation with match officials on the field. As a result, the IPL Governing Council imposed a penalty worth 15% of his applicable match fee for the offence.
The flashpoint came as the contest moved into the 18th over, when a decision by the third umpire denied RCB what would have been a boundary. Flower, alongside Dinesh Karthik, went to the fourth official to argue that the call was incorrect. While Karthik was not penalised, the league determined that Flower had crossed the line during the exchange, escalating the already tense atmosphere in the middle overs.
In its formal statement, the league said: “Andy Flower, Head Coach, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has been fined 15% of his applicable match fee for breaching Level 1 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials. Andy was found to have breached Article 2.3… which relates to the ‘use of an audible obscenity during a match.’ The incident occurred in the 17.2 over when Andy spoke aggressively with the fourth umpire.” The statement also added that Flower accepted the sanction after admitting the offence to the match referee, Amit Sharma.
Even with the dugout drama and the controversy around the umpiring, the disputed moment did not ultimately decide the outcome. RCB still completed a dramatic two-wicket win on the final ball to climb to the top of the points table, registering their seventh victory of the campaign.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was named Player of the Match for an impactful all-round showing. Earlier, he struck with the ball, finishing with four wickets, but it was his batting that sealed the narrative. Chasing a target that required nine runs from the last three deliveries, Bhuvi produced the decisive moment by clearing the point region for a crucial six off Raj Angad Bawa, swinging the game firmly in RCB’s favour.
After the win, Kumar said, “That six for sure [is what I’ll remember]. I’ve bowled many times and taken wickets before, but that six is the thing I enjoyed the most.”
With the performance, the 36-year-old also strengthened his position in the tournament’s wicket race. He currently sits with the Purple Cap, having taken 21 wickets so far, which is the fourth time in his IPL career that he has surpassed the 20-wicket mark in a single season.
