Adam Gilchrist scored a hundred off only 42 balls in Bombay last night to take some of the attention away from Harbhajan Singh’s alleged assault on an India teammate after an Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Friday. The fiery off spinner should find out today whether he will receive an international ban for slapping Sri Sreesanth but was suspended by the IPL from playing for Mumbai Indians in yesterday’s match against Deccan Chargers.

It meant that the team were on to their third captain of the fledgeling tournament, with Shaun Pollock standing in for Harbhajan, himself a locum for Sachin Tendulkar. Mumbai hope Tendulkar will return from a groin injury soon.

Lalit Modi, the chairman of the IPL, said that Harbhajan had been suspended after seeing video evidence of the bowler apparently striking Sreesanth. It was claimed that Sreesanth had said “hard luck” to his international teammate after his Punjab Kings XI had beaten Mumbai and received a cuff to the face in response.

Sreesanth was later seen in tears and, given that the IPL agreed that the tournament, which began on April 18, would be held under the MCC’s “Spirit of Cricket”, there was condemnation of Harbhajan’s behaviour. Although the IPL is a domestic tournament, Modi said that any disciplinary punishment would follow the ICC’s code of conduct, which means that Harbhajan faces a ban of five Tests or ten one-day internationals, although that can be increased to a life ban.

Mumbai’s fortunes did not get any better in their fourth match last night. Bought for $112 million (about £56 million), they are the most expensive of the eight franchises but have yet to win a game and Tendulkar’s absence all tournament has proved costly in more ways that one.

Gilchrist’s explosive hitting, the fastest hundred in the IPL to date and the third-fastest in Twenty20’s history, helped the Deccan Chargers to their first win. The Hyderabad-based team contain big hitters such as Shahid Afridi, Andrew Symonds and V. V. S. Laxman, as well as Gilchrist, but have taken a while to get into their stride.

Yesterday, Mumbai made 154 for seven in their 20 overs but Gilchrist was in no mood for a patient chase. With Laxman playing a supporting role of 36 not out, Gilchrist made 109 to set up a ten-wicket win with 44 balls in hand. His ten sixes brought the tally from the 14 matches so far in the IPL to 177. More than 24 per cent of the total runs scored have come from sixes and there have been complaints that the boundary ropes have been brought in too far to encourage big hitting.

- Essex were saddened to hear of the death on Saturday of Joe Hussain after a long illness. Hussain, the father of Nasser, the former England and Essex captain, had been a popular coach of several county players at Ilford and was credited with developing the talent of the likes of Ravi Bopara, James Foster and Varun Chopra.