New Delhi, April 22: Virat Kohli, the star batsman for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), has been penalized for breaching the IPL's code of conduct during their match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday. The incident happened during the 36th match of the ongoing Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

According to an official statement released by the IPL on Monday, "Kohli was charged with a Level 1 offense under Article 2.8 of the Code of Conduct." The statement further clarifies, "He accepted the match referee's sanction and pleaded guilty." Notably, for Level 1 breaches, the match referee's decision is final.

The incident occurred when a high full toss bowled by Harshit Rana went back into his hands after hitting Kohli's bat. The on-field umpire referred the decision to the third umpire for a no-ball check. Following the review, the third umpire declared the ball legal, leading to the dismissal of both Kohli and Dinesh Karthik. Apparently unhappy with the decision, Kohli argued with the umpires regarding the call. It's worth mentioning that Kohli's dismissal came after a quickfire 18 runs off just seven deliveries. Unfortunately for RCB, they went on to lose the close encounter by a narrow margin of just 1 run.