It was a bad day for Sanju Samson in the office on Wednesday. Not only did his team, Rajasthan Royals, lose by 58 runs against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, incurring a third loss this season, but Samson was also penalised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for breaching the IPL code of conduct in the game.
Rajasthan Royals captain Samson was fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during the match against Rajasthan Royals. This was the team’s second offence under Article 2.22 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offence. Rajasthan were earlier penalised for the same offence in the match against Chennai Super Kings last month at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. Stand-in captain Riyan Parag, who had filled in for an injured Samson, was charged with INR 12 lakhs.
However, on Wednesday, BCCI slapped a hefty fine of 24 lakhs on Samson. “The rest of the members of the Playing XI, including the Impact Player, will be fined either INR six lakhs or 25 per cent of their respective match fees, whichever is lesser,” an IPL media release read.
Sai Sudharsan’s impressive fifty and disciplined bowling powered Gujarat Titans to a commanding 58-run win over Rajasthan Royals. Sudharsan lit up the evening with a dazzling 53-ball 82, while explosive cameos from Jos Buttler (36), Shahrukh Khan (36), and Rahul Tewatia (24) propelled GT to a formidable 217/6.
The bowlers then kept chipping away, striking at regular intervals to keep Rajasthan on the back foot despite fighting knocks from Shimron Hetmyer (52) and skipper Sanju Samson (41). The visitors were eventually bowled out for 159 in 19.1 overs.
