Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson has been fined ₹12 lakh for a slow over rate during their nail-biting match against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Wednesday, April 10th.
RR were penalized on-field during the last over as they were five minutes behind schedule. This resulted in only four fielders allowed on the boundary line for Avesh Khan, who had to defend 15 runs. Despite the intense finish, GT won the game thanks to a crucial cameo by Rashid Khan, ending RR’s winning streak for the season.
During the season, players such as Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill have faced fines for similar offenses. However, as this is Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) first violation of the season, only their captain, Samson, will be fined.
Should the inaugural champions make the same error again, the captain’s fine will be doubled, and fines will also be imposed on members of the playing XI. If the slow over rate occurs for a third time in the season, there is a possibility of the captain facing a match ban.
“As it was his team’s first offense of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offenses, Samson was fined ₹12 lakhs,” a release from the IPL stated.
At one point, Rajasthan Royals (RR) had control of the match, having been set the target of defending 197 for their fifth consecutive victory. Gujarat Titans (GT) appeared to be struggling in their chase, particularly after losing several wickets during the middle overs.
However, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan’s partnership turned the tide, enabling GT to achieve their second-highest run chase in the IPL.
“I believed that a score of 196 would be enough to win”- Sanju Samson
Recently, Rajasthan Royals (RR) successfully chased down 184 runs against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the same venue, benefiting from heavy dew conditions. Despite missing Nandre Burger in the match against Gujarat Titans (GT), the hosts were expected to defend the score without the presence of dew.
Kuldeep Sen and Yuzvendra Chahal took five wickets collectively during the middle overs, initially suggesting that GT had left themselves with too much to do in the death overs. However, conceding 20 runs in the penultimate over allowed Gujarat to make a comeback in the contest.
“It’s very hard to speak at the moment. It’s the hardest job when the team loses. After a few hours, I might be able to tell you where we exactly lost. I think to be honest, you have to give credit to the Gujarat Titans.”
“That’s the beauty of this tournament so we can’t demand success. We have to take the learnings and move forward. When I was batting I thought somewhere around 180 would be good,” Samson said during the post-match presentation.
Next up, Rajasthan Royals (RR) are set to take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur on Saturday, April 13th.
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