Abhishek Sharma punished by BCCI for protesting against Varun Chakravarthy’s catch

Abhishek Sharma, the SRH left-handed batting star, has been handed a demerit point alongside a fine from his match fees after he protested against a dubious catch taken in the square-leg region by KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthy.

Sunrisers Hyderabad won the match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, but Abhishek Sharma had to pay a huge price for not showing belief in the decision of the umpires. When the dynamic left-handed opener neared a 10th IPL half-century, he launched one towards the square leg boundary and was caught by the KKR spinner near the ropes.

However, Abhishek, alongside the umpires, showed sheer disbelief in the instance, doubting whether the catch was completed successfully. The third umpire reviewed the catch from different angles and ruled Abhishek out. However, the SRH batter was still in disbelief.

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Abhishek Sharma has been handed a massive penalty for misconduct against KKR

The dynamic batter was dismissed on 48 runs, which he had scored off just 21 balls, and alongside fellow opener Travis Head, he gave his team a stunning start with a powerful total in the powerplay.

However, after that controversial catch, he stood his ground and refused to walk away. Even after the word OUT buzzed on the big screen, the batter walked slowly towards the dugout, not completely agreeing to the decision. However, the angles showed clearly that Varun had his fingers underneath the ball as he lunged forward to grab that catch.

Abhishek has been fined 25% of his match fees and has been handed a demerit point for having breached the IPL Code of Conduct under Article 2.3.

The article “Covers the use of words commonly known and understood to be offensive, obscene, and/or profane (in any language) and which can be heard by the spectators and/or the viewing public, whether by way of the stump-microphone or otherwise. This conduct may include, for example, swearing in frustration at one’s own play or fortune."

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Abhishek Sharma’s early sanctions in the IPL

The iconic left-handed batter, who was playing a stunning hand for Sunrisers Hyderabad, looked in some promising touch against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on the 2nd of April. He was nearing his second T20 half-century after the ICC T20 World Cup final.

The star batter had faced one such sanction previously in IPL 2025, when he had an ugly altercation with LSG spinner Digvesh Rathi. The star batter faced a similar 25 percent of his match fee on that occasion. He was then sanctioned for the breach under Article 2.6, which began after Rathi's controversial 'notebook' celebration.

Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head gave SRH a flying start

Sunrisers Hyderabad batters Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head started off the innings for the Sunrisers in the Eden Gardens. While Head had a record to flex against the Kolkata Knight Riders, Abhishek had failed to convert his starts against this opposition.

They started off with a quickfire score in the powerplay, as Head launched the pacers with ease. Scoring runs off Vaibhav Arora and Blessing Muzarabani, the run flow didn't stop when Varun Chakravarthy was brought into the attack.

The left-handed batter put on a dominant 82-run partnership with Travis Head off just 34 balls. Head contributed significantly with 46 runs in the partnership. This led SRH to finish with a score of 226/8 in their 20 overs.

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