What’s the story?
During Rising Pune Supergiant’s victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, Australian all-rounder Daniel Christian came out to bat wearing teammate Ben Stokes’ jersey and that could land the Australian in trouble with the match officials.
Christian hit the winning six to seal Pune’s seventh win of the season but instead of wearing his No.54 jersey as he did during RPS’ bowling innings, the 34-year-old wore the England all-rounder’s No.55 jersey, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by many.
In case you didn’t know…
The all-rounder himself admitted that he made a mistake following his wardrobe gaffe in a social media post soon after the win that sent Pune to third in the table, level on points with KKR, on the eve of his 34th birthday.
The heart of the matter
Here are the rules pertaining to the names of the back of the player’s shirt according to IPL’s Clothing and Equipment Regulations. Under that section and sub-section E) Player Identification, here is what the rule says:
E.1 Playing Shirt and Sweaters
A player’s name and number must correctly reflect the identity of the player and must be positioned on the PlayingShirts and PlayingSweaters as indicated in Diagram B.
With Christian admitting the contravention of rules, this is what is likely to happen, according to Appendix 2 – Disciplinary Process, Article 4 – Sanctions:
4.1 Where the player, support staff or franchise (as appropriate) admit the offence and accede to the sanction proposed in a Notice of Charge in accordance with Article 2.4.1 then the sanction imposed shall be as set out in such Notice of Charge.
4.2 Where a matter comes before the BCCI Chief Executive Officer in accordance with either Article 2.4.2 or 2.4.3, and he/she determines that an offence under these Regulations has been committed, he/she will be required to impose an appropriate sanction on the player, support staff or franchise (as appropriate).
What’s next?
With the Australian all-rounder in contravention of the rules, it remains to be seen what action is taken. RPS next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in an away match on May 6.
Author’s Take
Rising Pune Supergiant fans will be hoping that the Australian all-rounder, who has become an integral part of the Pune side in their resurgent IPL 2017 campaign doesn’t miss any matches. With Christian accepting that he committed a mistake, it remains to be seen what happens next.
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