2 days Ago By The Assam Tribune
Rajasthan Royal Captain Riyan Parag. (Photo:X)Guwahati, March 31: Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag has been fined Rs 12 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate during his team's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday night at Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium.According to a statement from the IPL, Parag's fine was imposed under Article 2.
22 of the league’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences. Since this was RR’s first such offence of the season, the penalty was limited to Rs 12 lakh. This marks the second slow over-rate penalty of the IPL 2025 season, following a similar fine imposed on Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya during his team’s match against Gujarat Titans on Saturday.
Unlike previous seasons, the IPL has removed the rule that resulted in a captain's suspension for repeated over-rate offences. Instead, teams now face financial penalties and in-game field restrictions for such violations. Despite the penalty, RR registered their first victory of the tournament after suffering two consecutive defeats.
The team posted a total of 182/9, with Nitish Rana contributing 81 runs. In response, CSK managed 176/6, falling short by six runs. Parag led the team to victory in front of a roaring home crowd, with RR successfully defending 19 runs in the final over.
The slow over-rate occurred as RR played with three fast bowlers, who collectively bowled 11 overs in the second innings, resulting in the team exceeding the allotted time to complete their overs. Parag, speaking at the post-match presentation, expressed relief at securing a win after two consecutive losses. He noted that although it had been just two games, the wait for a victory had felt long.
Reflecting on the match, he admitted that RR had fallen about 20 runs short of an ideal total, attributing it to quick wickets lost in the middle overs. He said that he had initially planned to accelerate his scoring around the 16th over but felt that the team’s bowlers ultimately compensated for the shortfall with a strong performance. The stand-in captain also revealed that RR had entered the match with a refreshed mindset after two tough outings—conceding 280 runs in one game and failing to defend 150 in another.
He highlighted that the team had decided to put the past behind them, execute their plans effectively, and deliver a collective performance, which he felt they successfully achieved. Parag was appointed interim captain for RR’s first three matches in the absence of regular skipper Sanju Samson, who is recovering from a finger injury and has only played as a batter so far. RR, who lost their tournament opener to Sunrisers Hyderabad, will next take on Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on April 5.
With inputs from Agencies.
