Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batsman Tim David has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee and suspended for one match for breaching the IPL code of conduct during RCB’s five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.David, who scored 24 off 17 balls in the final, was found guilty of breaching Article 2.9 of the Code of Conduct, which relates to “throwing the ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near a player, team official, umpire, match referee or any other dangerous person”.The incident took place during the 10th over of Gujarat Titans’ innings. After the wicket fell, David threw an ice bag at the on-field umpire Nitin Menon. After David pleaded guilty and accepted the penalty, match referee Javagal Srinath imposed the penalty.It was David’s third Level 1 offense of the season. He previously earned one demerit point in match 20 and two demerit points in match 54. The latest violation added two more demerit points, bringing his total to five.Under IPL regulations, a player receiving five demerit points gets a one-match suspension. As a result, David will miss the opening match of IPL 2027, whether he plays for RCB or another franchise next season.The Australian batsman ended IPL 2026 with 305 runs in 16 matches and was part of the RCB side that successfully defended their title.RCB’s win against Gujarat Titans made them only the third team in IPL history to retain the trophy after Chennai Super Kings (2010 and 2011) and Mumbai Indians (2019 and 2020). The Bengaluru franchise also became the fourth team to win multiple IPL titles, joining Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, who have won five titles each, and Kolkata Knight Riders, who have won three.RCB captain Rajat Patidar also entered the record books by becoming the first captain to win the IPL in each of his first two seasons as captain. He is only the third captain after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to win back-to-back IPL titles.
