Tim David was found guilty of hurling an ice bag aggressively at umpire Nitin Menon during the IPL 2026 final against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad. As a result, he has been suspended for either the first game of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2027 or the first game of whichever team he plays for the following season.
For the season, this was his third level 1 offence. As a result, he received two demerit points and a fine equal to half of his match fee. He received a one-match suspension after his demerit-point total for the previous 36 months reached five.

Jordan Cox's catch off Washington Sundar was declared not out in the ninth over of GT's innings. The IPL's code of conduct states that "throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near player, team official, umpire, match referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during a match" is what David was found to have done. He acknowledged the infraction and accepted the penalty that Javagal Srinath, the match referee, had imposed.
In match 20, David committed his first offence of the season against the Mumbai Indians, earning one demerit point. In match 54, he committed his second offence against the same opponents, earning two demerit points.

RCB went on to beat GT by five wickets in the final and earned up their second title, successfully defending their 2025 crown. David played a key role in it, scoring 305 runs at an average of 33.88 and a strike rate of 188.27.