Flower was fined 15% of his match fee for swearing at the fourth umpire during the high-pressure clash which went down to the final ball.
The IPL confirmed that the former Zimbabwe international breached Level 1 Article 2.3 of the Code of Conduct for the “use of an audible obscenity during a match”
The incident occurred in the 17th over of the tense chase, when Flower reacted angrily towards the fourth umpire following confusion around a boundary decision involving Krunal Pandya’s lofted shot.
In a chaotic passage of play, MI fielder Naman Dhir’s relay catch effort near the rope was initially thought to have touched the boundary and teammate Tilak Varma signalled a six.
However, replays confirmed Dhir had successfully kept the ball in play although the relay catch had not been completed.
The delivery was ultimately ruled a dot ball as Pandya did not attempt a run due to suffering cramp.
Flower was left visibly frustrated by the confusion and was seen gesturing and speaking forcefully in the direction of the fourth umpire.
According to the IPL’s match report, Flower admitted the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by match referee Amit Sharma.
“As per Article 2.3, the offence covers the use of offensive, obscene and/or profane language audible to spectators or the viewing public,” the statement read.
Photo: X@mufaddal_vohra
