Mumbai: Delhi Capitals pacer Mukesh Kumar has been fined 10 percent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team's loss against Mumbai Indians at the iconic Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday, May 22.
Mukesh was also handed one demerit point for his level 1 offence under Article 2.2 which deals with "abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during a match."
"Mukesh Kumar admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.2 and accepted the Match Referee’s sanction," an IPL release stated. "For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding."
🚨 NEWS: Mukesh Kumar fined 10% of his match fees and handed one demerit point. pic.twitter.com/qWsksqOV92
— Rishabh Singh Parmar (@irishabhparmar) May 22, 2025
Mukesh leaked 48 runs in his four over spell, managing to take two wickets. He conceded 27 runs off his final over and penultimate over of the innings that included including three sixes and two fours courtesy of smart cricketing shots from Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir. The final flourishes took Mumbai to a commendable 180-run total. At one stage, it looked like, MI might get restricted to 150-run total.
Later in the game, Mukesh was substituted out as DC brought in KL Rahul as their impact player during the chase, but Delhi's batting collapsed for just 121 runs. Only two uncapped players, Sameer Rizvi (39) and Vipraj Nigam (20), managed to cross the 20 or more run mark.
Mumbai's bowlers, especially Mitchell Santner and Jasprit Bumrah, were outstanding. The duo bowled a combined 44 deliveries and gave away just 23 runs while picking up three wickets between them.
So far this season, Mukesh has played in 11 of DC's 13 games, picking up 11 wickets. However, he's been expensive, averaging 32.63 runs with an economy rate of 10.11. Following Mumbai's win, the playoffs seats are confirmed with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings being the remaining three sides.
Meanwhile, following the conclusion of the match, former India wicket-keeper Saba Karim questioned Delhi Capitals’ bowling choices at the death.
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around this — why would Mukesh Kumar bowl four express deliveries in the 19th over, when throughout the match it was the slower ones, the knuckleballs, the change of pace that had worked so well for DC? They completely lost the plot, and that’s why they leaked so many runs at the end. The same happened in the 20th over — Dushmantha Chameera tried to bowl yorkers when there was no real need. Sticking to slower deliveries and variations would’ve likely produced a much better result," said Saba Karim.
