Shimron Hetmyer’s Wicket ( Source : X / Twitter )
Friday, May 24, turned out to be a forgettable day for Rajasthan Royals (RR) as the inaugural champions lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 36 runs in Qualifier 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Meanwhile, Rajasthan’s Shimron Hetmyer was fined by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for breaching the Code of Conduct.
Hetmyer was dismissed by Abhishek Sharma in the 14th over of Rajasthan’s innings as they were struggling in their pursuit of a 176-run target. After being cleaned up by the Punjab all-rounder, Hetmyer went on to smash the stumps in a show of frustration. The 27-year-old was found guilty of a Level 1 offence according to the IPL Code of Conduct. He was fined 10% of his match fees after he admitted to the offence.
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“Shimron Hetmyer of the Rajasthan Royals has been fined 10 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during the Qualifier 2 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on May 24,” BCCI said in a statement.
The sanction was imposed by former India speedster and match referee of Qualifier 2, Javagal Srinath. “Hetmyer committed a Level 1 offence under Article 2.2 of the IPL Code of Conduct. He admitted to the offence and accepted the Match Referee’s sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding,” BCCI said.
While BCCI didn’t mention the exact reason behind issuing the penalty, it is probably due to Hetmyer’s reaction after being dismissed at a crucial juncture of the match. The left-handed batter has been one of the best finishers in the league since he joined the Royals. He could have taken the Royals home had he been there till the end.
Earlier in the day, Sunrisers set a target of 176 for the Royals on the back of a 34-ball 50 from Heinrich Klaasen and a 15-ball 37 from Rahul Tripathi. Trent Boult and Avesh Khan bagged three wickets apiece for Rajasthan, while Sandeep Sharma chipped in with a couple.
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In reply, Dhruv Jurel remained unbeaten for the Royals, playing a defiant knock of 56 off 35 balls. However, wickets kept falling around him, as the Sanju Samson-led side were restricted to 139/7 in their 20 overs. Shahbaz Ahmed starred with the ball for the Orange Army, finishing with figures of 3/23 in his four overs. Abhishek Sharma also took a couple of wickets in his first four-over spell of the season. Meanwhile, captain Pat Cummins and T Natarajan chipped in with one wicket each.