NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant found himself on the wrong side of the Indian Premier League regulations as he was fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during his team's thrilling encounter against the Chennai Super Kings at Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
Despite DC emerging victorious in an exhilarating clash by 20 runs, Pant's return-to-form knock of 51 off 32 balls and a late cameo by CSK's MS Dhoni, scoring an unbeaten 37 off 16 balls, captured the spotlight during the match.
However, Pant's joy was tempered by the league's announcement of his offence. The IPL issued a statement confirming Pant's breach of the Code of Conduct, resulting in a fine of Rs 12 lakhs for the DC captain. This penalty was imposed as it marked his team's first offence of the season regarding minimum over-rate offences.
"Rishabh Pant, the Delhi Capitals captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over rate during their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Chennai Super Kings at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on March 31," read the official IPL statement.
1/10:IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals down Chennai Super Kings
PTI
2/10:Rishabh Pant
<p>Rishabh Pant led Delhi Capitals with his first IPL fifty since his comeback from a car crash, guiding them to a 20-run victory over Chennai Super Kings.<br /></p>PTI
3/10:Prithvi Shaw and David Warner
<p>Warner and Prithvi Shaw's opening partnership of 93 set the stage for Delhi before Chennai's bowlers fought back, including Matheesha Pathirana's two strikes in an over.<br /></p>PTI
4/10:David Warner
<p>David Warner's 52 coupled with Captain Pant's 51 off 32 balls, propelled Delhi to 191-5 in Visakhapatnam, their adopted homeground due to the upcoming general elections.<br /></p>PTI
5/10:Matheesha Pathirana
<p>Pathirana, nicknamed "Baby Malinga" for his slinging action and trademark yorkers reminiscent of the former Sri Lankan pace ace Lasith Malinga, finished with figures of 3-31.<br /></p>ANI
6/10:Khaleel Ahmed
<p>Khaleel Ahmed claimed the wickets of CSK openers and returned with bowling figures of 2-21 and was named the Man of the Match.</p>PTI
7/10:Ajinkya Rahane and Daryl Mitchell
<p>Ajinkya Rahane (45) and Daryl Mitchell (34) stitched together a 68-run partnership in their bid to revive the chase. However, after their dismissals, wickets tumbled in quick succession.<br /></p>PTI
8/10:MS Dhoni
<p>In Visakhapatnam, the crowd largely supported CSK, chanting "Dhoni, Dhoni". The former skipper responded with an unbeaten 37 off 16 balls, featuring four fours and three sixes.<br /></p>PTI
9/10:Mukesh Kumar
<p>In his spell of 3 overs, Mukesh Kumar claimed 3 wickets while conceding 21 runs.<br /></p>PTI
10/10:Rishabh Pant
<p>Pant received a standing ovation as he walked off the field, marking his first IPL fifty since 2021 and his return from a car crash involving his Mercedes north of New Delhi in December 2022.<br /></p>ANIHighlighting the severity of the penalty, the statement clarified, "As it was his team's first offence of the season under the IPL's Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, Pant was fined Rs 12 lakhs."
While DC celebrated their victory on the field, Pant's fine serves as a reminder of the importance of adhering to IPL regulations, ensuring the smooth conduct of matches throughout the tournament.
(With inputs from ANI)
