15 May,2026 12:27 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Kieron Pollard (Pic: MI)
Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point for using abusive language towards the fourth umpire during his side's six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on Thursday.
Former Mumbai Indians star Pollard was found guilty of breaching Level 1 of the IPL's Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials. Specifically, he breached Article 2.3 of the league's Code of Conduct, which relates to the "use of an audible obscenity during a match."
The incident occurred in the 19th over of the match when Pollard allegedly used abusive language towards the fourth umpire.
"Pollard admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by Match Referee Pankaj Dharmani," the IPL said in an official statement.
Despite the victory, Mumbai Indians remain ninth in the IPL 2026 points table with eight points from 12 matches. The five-time champions have already been eliminated from playoff contention.
MI's remaining matches of the season are against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai on May 24 and Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on May 20.
Mumbai Indians defeated Punjab Kings in a high-scoring thriller, denting the home side's qualification hopes. Tilak Varma emerged as the star performer for MI with an unbeaten 75-run knock.
Chasing a target of 201, Mumbai Indians got off to a strong start, with Ryan Rickelton scoring a quickfire 48, while Rohit Sharma contributed 25 runs.
Mumbai Indians lost a flurry of wickets during the middle overs, but Tilak Varma steadied the innings with a match-winning knock. Will Jacks supported him at the other end as the duo guided MI to their fourth win of the season.
Varma's innings included six fours and six sixes as he accelerated brilliantly in the death overs to take Mumbai Indians over the line.
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Punjab Kings posted 201 runs on the board, thanks to an explosive start from Prabhsimran Singh and a late flourish from Azmatullah Omarzai.
Shardul Thakur starred with the ball for Mumbai Indians, picking up four wickets to hurt Punjab Kings' playoff aspirations.
