Rajasthan Royals’ stand-in captain Riyan Parag exhaled with relief when the Rajasthan Royals won their first IPL 2025 match on their third try. Rajasthan defeated Chennai Super Kings in their final home game in Guwahati following a thrilling match on Sunday. Earlier, they faced defeats against the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, in their opening match on Wednesday. However, Parag received a substantial fine for breaching an IPL rule during the game.
Riyan Parag fined for slow over rate
The BCCI disciplined Parag on Monday after the Rajasthan Royals held Chennai at the Barsapara Stadium with a sluggish over-rate. As it was the team’s first offense of the current season, Parag was fined INR 12 lakhs in accordance with Article 2.22 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which addresses minimum over-rate infractions. Hardik Pandya of the Mumbai Indians was given a similar punishment during Saturday’s match against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, where MI lost badly by 36 runs. The second captain to receive a penalty for a slow over-rate was Parag.
Hardik was earlier punished for one game for MI’s two infractions of the IPL Code of Conduct during the 2024 season. He was consequently unable to participate in Mumbai’s opening match of the 2025 Indian Premier League against the Chennai Super Kings. The BCCI said ahead of the current tournament that if a team maintains a sluggish over-rate, captains would henceforth earn demerit points based on the severity of the crime instead of being banished.
With final statistics of 4 for 35, Sri Lankan wrist spinner Wanindu Hasaranga once again exposed Chennai’s spin issues. Sandeep Sharma defended 20 runs in the final over, including removing MS Dhoni, as CSK faltered in the chase. Previously, Nitish Rana was the best batsman. His useful half-century knock helped the Royals to a par score, which their bowlers successfully defended. Rajasthan will next take on the Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium in Chandigarh.
