Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma was fined and given one demerit point for a Code of Conduct breach in an early IPL 2026 match — one of the season's first formal disciplinary actions, and a marker for what would become a busier-than-usual sanction season for the IPL match referee.
The breach was a Level 1 offence under the IPL Code of Conduct, the standard category for audible obscenities, dissent and minor on-field misconduct. The match referee imposed the standard sanction: 25 per cent of match fee and one demerit point. Abhishek accepted the charge.
The early-season timing made the incident one of the season's reference points. By the time Riyan Parag's higher-profile vaping breach arrived in late April, the IPL match referee's office had already established a visible pattern of Code of Conduct enforcement, and the cumulative list of sanctions across IPL 2026 had become a recurring topic in cricket media.
2 April 2026 — Abhishek Sharma involved in Code of Conduct breach during SRH match
Match referee charges him under IPL Code of Conduct Level 1 provisions
Sanction: 25 per cent match-fee fine + 1 demerit point
Abhishek accepts the charge
First in a season-long pattern of Code of Conduct enforcement that culminated in the Riyan Parag vaping case
Abhishek Sharma fined 25 per cent of match fee and given one demerit point for a Level 1 Code of Conduct breach in early IPL 2026. He accepted the charge.
Bangladesh vs ICC
7 February 2026
Bangladesh refused to play T20 World Cup 2026 in India and were replaced by Scotland after the ICC rejected their security-concern relocation demand.
South Africa, West Indies, England
10 March 2026
South Africa and West Indies stranded in India 8-11 days after T20 WC 2026 while England departed in 48 hours, sparking ICC bias claims.
Punjab Kings
7 May 2026
Yuzvendra Chahal was allegedly captured vaping aboard a Punjab Kings team charter flight en route to Hyderabad ahead of the franchise's IPL 2026 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 6 May 2026. The footage surfaced from a behind-the-scenes vlog uploaded to social media by Chahal's PBKS teammate Arshdeep Singh, in which a figure appearing to be Chahal is visible with what observers identified as an electronic cigarette. The clip went viral within hours. Neither Chahal nor Arshdeep issued a public statement; Punjab Kings and the BCCI both remained silent. The controversy arrived just days after the BCCI had formally penalised Rajasthan Royals batter Riyan Parag for vaping in the team dressing room — and before the board had yet issued its blanket vaping ban for IPL venues.