Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Harshit Rana has been fined 60 percent of his match fees for two offences. He breached the IPL Code of Conduct during his franchise’s opening game against the visiting Sunrisers Hyderabad at the iconic Eden Gardens on March 23..
Rana committed two Level 1 offences under Article 2.5 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct. He was fined 10 percent and 50 percent of his match fees for different offences. Rana accepted the sanctions levelled against him by the on-field umpires. For such offences, the match referee’s decision is final.
Rana celebrated aggressively and blew a flying kiss in Mayank Agarwal’s direction after dismissing him in the sixth over of Sunrisers’ chase. The senior batter scored 32 runs and was caught by Rinku Singh. Rana’s action was slammed by legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
Harshit Rana, one of the two young Kolkata bowlers who was not an international, held his nerve to concede only eight runs in the last over when Hyderabad needed 13.
Hyderabad was expected to canter home by that stage at a packed Eden Gardens.
Heinrich Klaasen smashed 63 off 29 balls as Hyderabad came within touching distance of Kolkata’s 208-7. He was out caught off the penultimate delivery, and Rana made Pat Cummins swing and miss the last delivery. Hyderabad finished on 204-7.
Klaasen hit eight sixes, scoring 50 off only 25 balls, and rescued Hyderabad from 107-3 in the 12th over. Klaasen put on 34 off 24 balls with Abdul Samad (15), and a whirlwind 58 off only 16 balls with Shahbaz Ahmed.
Rana (3-33) dismissed Klaasen and Ahmed in the final over in his first match since December.
Kolkata’s win was set up by Andre Russell. Russell, coming from the Bangladesh Premier League final, boosted his team from 119-6 in the 14th over.
He blasted an unbeaten 64 off 25 balls with seven sixes and three fours. He reached 50 off only 20 balls and helped Kolkata put up the first 200-plus total of the season.
Opener Philip Salt gave Kolkata a good start with 54 off 40 balls but the hosts lost wickets as pacer T Natarajan bagged 3-32.