IPL 2023: Ashwin fined 25% of match fee for questioning umpires' decision

Ravichandran Ashwin, the Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) offspinner, has been left puzzled by the umpires’ decision to change the ball on their own because of the dew in the IPL 2023 match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Chennai and called for consistency while taking such decisions.

A day later, he was fined by the match referee for his comments on the umpires’ decision.

The heavy dew at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday night (April 12) forced the umpires to intervene and change the ball during the chase, leaving Ashwin, who returned figures of 2/25, “surprised”.

Also read: IPL 2023 full schedule, match times, venues

The Royals defeated the four-time IPL champions by three runs in a last-ball thriller, with CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja unable to score 21 runs off the last over in their chase of 176 for victory.

Ashwin said he had never before seen the umpires changing the ball because of excessive dew.

Also read: IPL 2023: RCB vs CSK match tickets sold out

“I’m quite surprised the umpires changed the ball for dew on their own. It’s never happened before and I’m quite surprised. Some of the decisions in this year’s IPL on the field have left me a little flummoxed to be honest,” Ashwin said at the post-match press conference.

“I mean, (it) left me flummoxed in a good or a bad way. It’s because I think what you need is a little bit of balance,” said Ashwin, who was adjudged Player of the Match.

“As a bowling team, we are not asking for the ball to be changed. But the ball was changed on the umpires’ accord. I did ask the umpire and he said we can change it. So I just hope every time there is dew they can change it every single time going forward in this IPL that sort of, you can do whatever you want, but you just need to be in a standard going forward,” he added.

In a media advisory on Thursday, IPL said Ashwin has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct.

“Ashwin admitted to the Level 1 Offence under Article 2.7 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding,” it said.

Article 2.7 deals with “Public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in a Match or any Player, Team Official, Match Official or Team participating in any Match, irrespective of when such criticism or inappropriate comment is made.”