| Player: | KP Pietersen, M Muralitharan |
| Event: | Indian Premier League 2009 |
DateLine: 22nd April 2009
In all the feel-good about the Indian Premier League and its general emphasis on how the spirit of the game takes precedence, the competitive edge at times approaches the not-so-nice.
Bangalore Royal Challengers skipper Kevin Pietersen wasn’t particularly amused at being adjudged lbw to Muttiah Muralitharan on Monday during the match with Chennai Super Kings. The Englishman had to go for a duck when Australian umpire Simon Taufel decided he had been trapped in front by Murali.
Pietersen, after being given out, was pretty clear about his displeasure and the Match Referee, former Indian batsman Gundappa Viswanath, found him guilty of a level-one offence
Pietersen went on to be quoted by a newspaper, saying he thought he had nicked it, “but that is life.”
Murali, predictably, had a different view, and according to him, so did Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Pietersen became the first player in this edition of the IPL to have been found wanting on the ICC Code of Conduct.