IPL 2020 / Shreyas Iyer fined ₹12 lakh for slow over-rate against SRH

Cricket Desk: Shreyas Iyer, the skipper of the Delhi Capitals (DC) was fined INR 12 lakhs for slow over-rate against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The Delhi-based franchise couldn’t complete their quota of 20 overs in time, taking 23 minutes more.

It was also the Capitals’ first such offense in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It was, somewhat, an insult to injury for Iyer as the Capitals, after back-to-back wins, lost their first match of the ongoing IPL by 15 runs, failing to chase down 163 in 20 overs.

Shreyas Iyer bears the brunt

“As it was his team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Mr. Iyer was fined Rs 12 lakh,” the IPL said in a release.

Iyer didn’t have the greatest of games either. He came to bat after Bhuvneshwar Kumar got rid of Prithvi Shaw early. However, Iyer couldn’t quite get going despite hitting a couple of fours. He only managed 17 runs off 21 balls before Rashid Khan got rid of him in the eighth over. Iyer tried to take on the spinner, but ended up, holding out to Abdul Samad at deep extra-cover.

Rashid became the Player of the Match for his match-winning spell. Apart from Iyer, he also pinned Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant, who both threatened to take the match away from the Sunrisers. Rashid bowled 13 dot balls in his four overs and conceded a mere 14 runs. The required-rate kept mounting and in the end, Iyer and Co fell well short of the target.

The Capitals also moved down to number two in the points table with Steve Smith’s Royals being the new table-toppers in the 2020 IPL. The Capitals are next set to lock horns with the Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday, October 3 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Last year, the two teams were involved in a thrilling Super Over contest, though it was in Delhi. In another match, the Capitals beat the Knights without dropping much sweat. Since their match is in Sharjah, where the ground dimensions are short, a high-scoring game can be expected.