Riyan Parag has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for his 'smoking act', which was deemed to have brought the game into disrepute.

In a notice to the Rajasthan Royals skipper, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) charged him with a Level 1 offence under Article 2.1 of the Player Code of Conduct (COC), which deals with general, unspecified breaches by players and officials. Parag was caught on camera smoking inside the dressing room during a recent IPL match.

Given his Rs 14 crore contract for the season, his per-match fee works out to around Rs 1 crore, which means a 25 per cent fine would be approximately Rs 25 lakh. Considering the fact that it was deemed as a first-time offence, Rs 25 lakh is a heavy penalty.

As reported by Cricbuzz on April 29, in the absence of a precedent or a provision for dressing room smoking, the BCCI has applied Article 2.21 which covers offences that are not specifically mentioned in the COC.

For the record, "The Article 2.21 is intended to cover all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute and which is not specifically or adequately covered by the specific offences set out in the COC."

The article also covers acts of misconduct in public places. "By way of example, Article 2.21 may (depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach) prohibit, without limitation, the following: (a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game."

It also mentions recklessness and avoidable behaviour. "When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable and/or accidental, shall be considered. Further, the person lodging the Report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lays with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature (and hence a Level 1 Offence) up to conduct of an extremely serious nature (and hence a Level 4 Offence)."

According to sources in the BCCI and the Rajasthan Royals management, Parag was served the notice on Thursday morning (April 30). He has the right to appeal, though that could lead to an investigation and potential further proceedings. It is learnt that the player will comply with the fine and move on.

The RR captain was caught on camera vaping an e-cigarette in the dressing room during the Royals' match against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on Tuesday night (April 28). The above mentioned Article has been applied by the match referee, who has announced the fine. There was no information of any hearing though.

BCCI exploring options for stringent action

"The BCCI is also exploring other options to initiate proceedings for stringent action against the erring team, its officials and player/s to ensure that the reputation of IPL remains intact," the Board said in a statement on the matter.

Pertaining to the incident in the Match No 40 of the IPL, the BCCI said, "Riyan was found to have breached Article 2.21 of the IPL's Code of Conduct, which relates to "conduct that brings the game into disrepute." The incident occurred during the second innings when Parag was seen using a vape inside the dressing room. In addition to his fine, Parag has accumulated one demerit point. He admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by the Match Referee, Amit Sharma.