Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya had a mixed night on Thursday as his team registered a six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali.
According to an IPL media release, Hardik Pandya was fined Rs 12 lakh for his team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences. Earlier, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis and Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson were also fined for the same offence.
Hardik Pandya, was seen urging his fielders to hurry up and avoid celebrating wickets in the latter half of the PBKS innings. However, his efforts were not enough as GT took more than the allotted time of 90 minutes to complete their 20 overs.
For the second offence in a season, the captain of the bowling team will be fined 24 lakhs and the other 10 players will either be fined six lakhs or 25 per cent of their match fees, depending on which amount is lesser. For the third and each subsequent offence in a season, the captain of the bowling team will be fined 30 lakhs and will also be banned for one match. The other 10 players in the team will also be fined 12 lakhs or 50 per cent of their match fees, depending on which amount is lesser.
While the fine may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, it serves as a reminder that the IPL takes such violations seriously. In addition to the financial penalty, Pandya will also have to be mindful of his team’s over-rate in future matches to avoid further sanctions.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the Gujarat Titans have been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate. In the 2021 season, the team was fined for the same offence, with the then-captain, Kieron Pollard, being held responsible. With this latest incident, it is clear that the team needs to take a closer look at their approach to over-rates to avoid future fines.
GT are currently third in the points table with 6 points from 4 games, while PBKS are sixth with the 4 points but with an inferior net run rate. GT will next face Rajasthan Royals on April 16, while PBKS will take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 15 at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
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