Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Avesh Khan faced a reprimand after tossing his helmet in the aftermath of the team’s nail-biting, last-ball victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday. In the same match, RCB skipper Faf du Plessis was also handed a penalty by the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council for maintaining a slow over-rate.
In a thrilling encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, LSG clinched victory by one wicket off the last ball. Avesh Khan, their No. 11 batter, hurled his helmet in excitement after completing the winning run, which resulted in a reprimand from the match referee. The pacer admitted to a level 1 offence under the IPL’s Code of Conduct and accepted the sanction. A formal warning was deemed sufficient, with no financial penalty imposed on Avesh.
Meanwhile, RCB captain Faf du Plessis was slapped with a fine of INR 12 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate during the match. As this was the team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, du Plessis bore the financial consequences.
The match was an intense affair, with Avesh unable to make contact with the ball on the final delivery. However, wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik’s fumble allowed Avesh to take a single and secure victory for LSG.
In addition to the fine, du Plessis achieved a personal milestone during the match, completing 300 sixes in T20 cricket. The RCB skipper scored an unbeaten 79 off 46 balls, including five fours and five sixes. His six count in T20s now stands at 301.
The top-five six hitters in T20 cricket include West Indies legend Chris Gayle with 1,056 sixes, former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard with 812, West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell with 589, former New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Brendon McCullum with 485, and New Zealand’s Colin Munro with 480. Indian players on the list include Rohit Sharma (462 sixes), Virat Kohli (360), Suresh Raina (325), KL Rahul (289), and Robin Uthappa (267).