Delhi Capitals bowling coach Munaf Patel has landed in hot water after a tense exchange with match officials during his team’s IPL clash against Rajasthan Royals in Delhi on Wednesday. The former India pacer was fined 25% of his match fee and handed a demerit point for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct.
The drama unfolded at the Arun Jaitley Stadium when Patel got into a heated argument with the fourth umpire. The issue? The umpire reportedly blocked a DC substitute from entering the field to deliver Patel’s message to the players mid-game. Patel, visibly frustrated, was seen confronting the umpire at the boundary line—while tying his shoelaces. A clip of the incident quickly made the rounds online.
Munaf Patel had a heated exchange with the 4th umpire during the #DCvRR match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi after the umpire denied sending a player to enter the ground to convey his message.#DCvsRR #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/hHv0tNAUvd
— Gaurav Chaudhary (@gkctweets) April 16, 2025
According to an IPL statement released Thursday, Patel admitted to a Level 1 offence under Article 2.20, which deals with conduct “contrary to the spirit of the game.” Since it was a Level 1 breach, the Match Referee’s decision is final.
The Capitals managed to win a nail-biter despite the sideline kerfuffle. The game went to a Super Over, where Mitchell Starc also starred for Delhi. He showed his calm in the final over of regulation, defending nine runs against Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer. He then limited Rajasthan to only 11 in the Super Over, and that set up a simple chase.
KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs didn’t take their time — they cruised to victory, secured Delhi’s first home win of the season. Starc’s figures ended on 1/36 in his four overs, and he ensnared another pair of wickets in the Super Over — giving him rightfully Player of the Match.
With this win, Delhi Capitals now sit at the top of the table with 10 points from six games. Their next test? A clash with Gujarat Titans at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday.
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