The Trinbago Knight Riders spinner Sunil Narine became the first recipient of the red card in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). This is the first-ever incident of the usage of red cards in the tournament’s history. It took place against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on Monday, August 28 in St Kitts. However, the CPL has brought in a new red-card rule to tackle the concern of slow-over rates in the tournament.
According to the rule, the fielding side will have a fifth and sixth fielder inside the circle if they are behind at the start of the 18th and 19th over. And if are behind before the start of the final over, they have to play with a fielder less.
The Trinbago Knight Riders were at the receiving end of the rule recently. They had to field with three fielders outside the circle for the penultimate over. Also, as they fell behind before the start of the final over, they had to field with 10 players, with Sunil Narine walking off the field.
Watch the video here:
SENT OFF! The 1st ever red card in CPL history. Sunil Narine gets his marching orders 🚨 #CPL23 #SKNPvTKR #RedCard #CricketPlayedLouder #BiggestPartyInSport pic.twitter.com/YU1NqdOgEX
— CPL T20 (@CPL) August 28, 2023
It is absolutely ridiculous – Kieron Pollard on the red-card rule in CPL 2023
Trinbago Knight Riders skipper Kieron Pollard is not impressed with the newly introduced red-card rule. He shared that the penalty spoils the hard work done by the players in the match. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Kieron Pollard lashed out at the rule. He said,
“To be honest, it will take away the hard work everyone has done. We are like the pawns and we are going to do what we are told. We are going to play as fast as we can. If you are penalized for 30-45 seconds in a tournament like this, it is absolutely ridiculous.”
The Trinbago Knight Riders conceded 18 runs off the final over as Sherfane Rutherford slammed two boundaries and a six. The St Kitts and Nevis Patriots put on 178 runs batting first, with Sherfane Rutherford staying unbeaten on 62 runs. Trinbago Knight Riders chased it down with six wickets to spare. Nicholas Pooran won the Player of the Match for scoring 61 runs off just 32 deliveries.
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