Despite a thrilling win over Kolkata Knight Riders, the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp is facing some internal unease. Opening batsman Abhishek Sharma has been penalized by the IPL authorities for breaching the Code of Conduct during the high-stakes match at Eden Gardens. Abhishek has been fined 25% of his match fee and handed one demerit point for his behavior on the field.

The controversy erupted following Abhishek’s dismissal. After a blistering knock of 48 off 21 balls, he was caught by Varun Chakravarthy off Blessing Muzarabani’s delivery. Doubts remained over whether the catch was clean, but the third umpire eventually upheld the dismissal. Visibly frustrated, Abhishek reportedly used offensive language while leaving the field, violating Article 2.3 (Level 1 offence) of the IPL Code of Conduct. While he has accepted the sanction, his fiery opening partnership of 82 runs with Travis Head remains the highlight of SRH’s massive 226-run total. SRH will next face LSG on April 5.