LSG captain KL Rahul fined 12 lakhs for maintaining slow over-rate in IPL 2023 match vs RR
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul has been sanctioned for breaching the IPL code of conduct during the fixture against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday, April 19, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
The Super Giants maintained a slow over-rate during the second innings of the match, for which Rahul was handed a ₹12 lakh fine. The IPL's official media advisory on the matter read:
"Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during their TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against the Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, on Wednesday."
The statement continued:
"As it was the team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Mr. Rahul was fined Rs 12 lakhs."
KL Rahul-led LSG beat Rajasthan Royals by 10 runs in a close contest in IPL 2023
LSG batted first in the contest after losing the toss and posted a decent total of 154/7 on the back of a half-century from Kyle Mayers (51). Skipper KL Rahul (39) also chipped in with a handy contribution on a slow pitch.
Ravichandran Ashwin (2/23) utilized the conditions perfectly and bowled a wonderful spell for the RR side. Trent Boult (1/16) complemented him well with an economical spell.
It was an encore in the chase as RR openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (44) and Jos Buttler (40) also played similar knocks to their counterparts but were a bit slower. After their departure, the middle order failed miserably, as the Royals could only reach 144/6 in the end.
It was a collective effort from the LSG bowlers in the second innings. Avesh Khan (3/25) and Marcus Stoinis (2/28) stood out with their incisive spells.
LSG captain KL Rahul reflected on the win after the match, saying:
"Obviously we came into this game and thought 180 is a par score. With RR having some great batsmen, we thought about getting 10-15 more than par. But after the first over from Boulty itself, I told Kyle (Kyle Mayers) that this is not a 180 pitch. (About Amit Mishra) He bowled well and had the impact. Our plans and tactics were always to get the first 2-3 wickets early since RR are pretty strong at the top of the order."
Lucknow Super Giants will next face Gujarat Titans on Saturday, April 22, at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.