Tim David, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter, has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Code of Conduct during their game against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 12.

David was found to have breached Article 2.4 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which relates to “disobeying an umpire’s instruction during a match.”

The 30-year-old David was officially sanctioned by the IPL for breaching the Code of Conduct by repeatedly failing to hand over the ball to the umpires when instructed.  

What Happened On The Field?

The incident occurred during the 18th over (17.2) of RCB’s batting innings. Tim David smashed a huge six off Hardik Pandya, which deformed the ball and made it wet. Umpires called for a replacement. As a box of balls was brought out, David picked one up and began inspecting and toying with it. Despite repeated requests from the on-field umpires to return it, he held onto it briefly.

A similar situation repeated in the 20th over (19.2), when he again did not hand over the ball to the umpires, amounting to repeated failure to comply with the instructions or directives of the umpires.

These actions were deemed a breach of Article 2.4 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct.

“David was found to have breached Article 2.4 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which relates to “disobeying an umpire’s instruction during a match,” the IPL said in a statement on Monday.

“David admitted to the offence and accepted the Match Referee’s sanction,” it added.

Videos of the moment went viral, showing the umpire visibly annoyed as David casually played with the ball. Some fans viewed it as playful frustration over the ball change, while others criticized it as unnecessary delay or disobeying the umpires’ decision.

Hardik Pandya Also Penalised 

Notably, Tim David wasn’t the only one who was punished after Match No. 20 of the IPL 2026 season.

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya was separately fined Rs 12 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate. As this was MI’s first offense of the 2026 season under Article 2.22, Pandya escaped with the minimum monetary penalty without further suspension risks.

Match Summary

After being invited to bat first, RCB produced a dominant batting display. Powered by half-centuries from Phil Salt (78), Rajat Patidar (53), and a steady 50 from Virat Kohli, Bengaluru posted a massive 240/4.

In response, Mumbai Indians finished at 222/5, falling short despite a valiant unbeaten 71 from Sherfane Rutherford.

The win moves RCB to third place on the points table, while Mumbai Indians continue to struggle with three consecutive defeats.