IPL 2017: Daniel Christian could be in trouble for donning Ben Stokes’ jersey during RPS’ win over KKR

Daniel Christian was wearing his jersey – No. 54 – when RPS were bowling, but he when he came out to bat, he wore No. 55, which belonged to Ben Stokes.

Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) all-rounder Daniel Christian is in trouble after he put on a shirt that belonged to his teammate Ben Stokes during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday. It is believed that that match referee is not particularly pleased with Christian’s switch. Christian was wearing his jersey – No. 54 – when RPS were bowling, but he when he came out to bat, he wore No. 55, which belonged to Stokes. Christian in his brief stay at the crease, hit the winning six. According to the IPL guidelines, the number and the name must correctly reflect the identity of the player and Christian could be punished for this act. Full cricket scorecard: KKR vs RPS, Match 41

Christian however clarified on Instagram, saying, “Put my shirt out to dry with @stokesy after the bowling innings, and grabbed the wrong one before I went out to bat, much to the ire of the match referee.” A similar incidence took place last year when Christian’s RPS teammate Usman Khawaja was given a shirt with “Khwaja” on the back. Also earlier this year, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson led his side to a comfortable win over Bangladesh in a limited-overs fixture with “Willamson” printed on his back. READ: IPL 2017: Riding on Rahul Tripathi’s 93, RPS breach KKR fortress in IPL 10, Match 41

With that win on Wednesday, RPS are now in the third position in the IPL 2017 table with 14 points from 11 matches. Out of their last 7 matches, RPS have won 6. With just three matches to go, RPS find themselves in good position to qualify for the playoffs.

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