Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been fined 10 percent of her match fee for breaching the Women’s Premier League (WPL) Code of Conduct during her team’s victory against UP Warriorz at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Thursday. The experienced 35-year-old batter admitted to the Level 1 offence, which relates to showing dissent at an umpire’s decision.
The incident occurred at the start of the 20th over of UP Warriorz’s innings when Mumbai Indians were found to be behind the required over-rate. As a result, umpire Ajitesh Argal signalled that only four fielders would be allowed outside the 30-yard circle for Amelia Kerr’s final over — a standard penalty under the tournament’s rules for slow over-rates.
Harmanpreet, visibly frustrated, walked up to the umpire to express her disagreement. The situation escalated when UP Warriorz batter Sophie Ecclestone, standing at the non-striker’s end, joined the conversation. The brief exchange between Ecclestone and Harmanpreet turned into a heated argument, with both players unwilling to back down.
After the match, Amelia Kerr, who was caught in the middle of the spat, shed some light on the situation. “I was just trying to defuse the situation between Harman and Sophie,” Kerr said during the post-match press conference. “It got a little bit heated out there. Both are very passionate and competitive. I’m a bit more laidback. I was just trying to calm the situation.”
The incident may have drawn attention, but it wasn’t entirely surprising given Harmanpreet’s history of emotional outbursts on the field. In July 2023, she received a two-match suspension following a controversial episode during India’s tour of Bangladesh in Dhaka. After being given out, she angrily smashed the stumps with her bat and later criticised the standard of umpiring as “pathetic” during the post-match presentation.
While the latest incident didn’t escalate to that level, it once again highlighted the Mumbai Indians skipper’s fiery temperament. UP Warriorz batter Georgia Voll, however, took a light-hearted view of the confrontation. “Sophie is a bit of an angry aunt anyway. It was quite funny to watch,” the 21-year-old Australian quipped. “But MI was seven minutes behind the over rate. So, I’m not really sure why Harman was mad at that.”
Despite the controversy, Mumbai Indians secured the win, but the focus remains on Harmanpreet’s conduct. With her track record, the WPL authorities will likely keep a closer eye on her behaviour in upcoming matches, hoping her passion doesn’t cross the line again.
