What is slow over rate penalty in IPL?

The inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League took place in the year 2008 and over the years, the marquee tournament has seen many rules being added on to spice up the game and also to ensure the competition is as per the spirit of the game. While the 17th instalment of the Indian Premier League has picked up the pace and fans have been at the edge of their seats, an over-rate rule has created a lot of buzz in the cricket fraternity. At times, we have witnessed captains being fined lakhs of rupees for breaching this rule and it has also been a telling factor in the result of various games. Let us dive deep into the rule.

What is the rule?

According to the over rate rule, the fielding team is obligated to complete the innings i.e. bowl their full quota of 20 overs within 90 minutes which includes two strategic timeouts of two and a half minutes each. However, it should be noted that the time used up for DRS reviews and player injuries is not included in this hour-and-a-half time slot.

What happens if a team maintains a slow over rate?

If a fielding side is not in a position to bowl the first ball of the final over of the innings by the scheduled time, one fewer fielder will be permitted outside of the 30-yard circle for the remaining overs of the innings. Besides this, the captain of the bowling team and/or the entire team suffers fines.

When the bowling team is found guilty for the first time in the marquee tournament, a fine of INR 12 lakh is imposed upon the skipper of the side but no other player is penalised in this case. However, if the side sustains an over rate of offence for the second time then the captain is fined INR 24 lakh and the rest of the members of the team including the impact player are fined INR 6 lakh or 25% of their match fee, whichever is lesser.

If the team maintains the slow over rate for the third instance in the tournament, the skipper is fined INR 30 lakh and also is handed a one-match ban. Also, all the remaining players of the playing XI including the impact substitute are fined INR 12 lakh or 50% of their match fee, whichever is lesser.

Impact of slow over rate penalty in IPL 2024

IPL 2024 has witnessed over rate penalty being imposed on captains such as Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill. While Samson and Gill have been fined just once, Pant’s Delhi Capitals has been found guilty twice. Now, Pant is in a precarious situation as yet another offence by his team could result in his one-match ban. Moreover, Samson’s RR was quite heavily affected by the field restrictions imposed to maintain a slow over-rate in the match against Gujarat Titans as Rashid Khan took Avesh Khan to the cleaners in the final over of the game to break Rajasthan’s winning streak.