Lucknow, March 7 Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has been fined 10 per cent of her match fees for breaching the WPL Code of Conduct during the match against UP Warriorz at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
WPL in its statement said Harmanpreet admitted to "the Level 1 offence under Article 2.8 which relates to showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during a match".
The incident occurred in the final ove, when the on-field umpire penalised MI for a slow over rate, enforcing fielding restrictions as per the rule. This required MI to have only three fielders outside the 30-yard circle.
The MI skipper Harmanpreet was visibly displeased with the decision and confronted umpire Ajitesh Argal to challenge the call. Meanwhile, all-rounder Amelia Kerr, who was set to bowl the final over was also visibly upset by the decision.
As the situation unfolded, England cricketer Sophie Ecclestone, standing at the non-striker’s end, approached the umpire to express her views. This led to a heated exchange between Harmanpreet and Ecclestone, during which the MI captain was seen pointing a finger at her.
The umpires quickly intervened to de-escalate the situation, and Ecclestone returned to the non-striker’s end, appearing frustrated. The video of the same went viral on social media.
For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding.
Coming to the match, Amelia Kerr's five-wicket haul (5-38) followed by Hayley Mathews fiery fifty (68 off 46) gave Mumbai a six-wicket victory that pushed them to second spot in the standings.
The current Purple Cap holder, Kerr, became the first bowler to claim a fifer this season, registering the best-ever bowling figures for an MI player in WPL history.
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