Maharashtra batter Ankit Bawne has been handed a one-match suspension for dissent, following an incident during Maharashtra's Ranji Trophy fifth-round match against Services.

The decision was communicated ahead of Maharashtra's sixth-round Group A fixture against Baroda in Nashik on January 23.

The incident occurred during Maharashtra's match against Services when Bawne, standing in as captain, was adjudged caught at slip off left-arm spinner Amit Shukla. Replays, however, suggested the ball had bounced before Shubham Rohilla completed the catch. Despite this, there was no recourse to a Decision Review System (DRS) as the match was only live-streamed, not televised.

Bawne refused to leave the field, causing a 15-minute suspension of play. The match eventually resumed after intervention by match referee Amit Sharma and Maharashtra coach Sulakshan Kulkarni. However, the delay and Bawne's actions were deemed dissent, leading to his suspension. Coach Kulkarni criticized the umpiring standards after the incident.

"Players are subject to fines and reprimand, what about proper assessment of umpires? Why do the same erring umpires continue to officiate and play spoilsport? When there are blunders of this nature, the anger is justified," he had said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Maharashtra's regular captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad who was playing for India A in Australia at the time, also expressed his dissatisfaction by sharing replays of the dismissal on social media.

Maharashtra are already out of contention to qualify for knock-out stage

Meanwhile, Maharashtra is already out of contention for a playoff berth. With 361 runs from five matches this Ranji season at an average of 51.57, including a century and two half-centuries, Bawne has been their leading run-scorer. His absence will be a significant blow to the team as they face Baroda in the ongoing match.

Despite the disappointment in the Ranji Trophy, Bawne had an impressive Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, smashing 375 runs in six innings. Although Maharashtra eventually lost in the semifinals to Vidarbha by 69 runs.