Rishabh Pant. Photo- DC Twitter
Rishabh Pant. Photo- DC Twitter

Mohammed Shami, the Indian fast bowler, has termed the one-match suspension of Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant as shocking and unfair. Rishabh Pant was suspended for one match and fined by the BCCI for a third offense of slow overrate.

This happened in DC’s last match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Delhi on May 7. Pant was suspended for one match for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct after his team maintained a slow over-rate.

Pant was also fined INR 30 lakh while the rest of DC’s playing XI in that game, including the Impact Player, were fined either INR 12 lakh or 50% of their match fees, whichever is lower.

“Mr Rishabh Pant, Captain, Delhi Capitals has been fined and suspended for one match for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match 56 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on May 07, 2024.

“As per Article 8 of the IPL Code of Conduct, the Delhi Capitals filed an appeal challenging the ruling of the Match Referee. Following this, the appeal was referred to the BCCI Ombudsman for review. The Ombudsman conducted a virtual hearing and affirmed that the decision of the Match Referee remains final and binding,” BCCI revealed in its release.

Delhi Capitals had tried to appeal and reasoned that the sixes hit by RR led to time waste, while Sanju Samson’s contentious dismissal via boundary catch by Shai Hope also took time.

Suspending a captain is a big blow for the team: Mohammed Shami on Rishabh Pant

Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami has commented on the recent one-match punishment given to Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Rishabh Pant during the ongoing IPL 2024 season.

“Personally speaking, at this stage, suspending a captain is a big blow for the team. Many a time, we have seen matches going slow towards the end of a game. I admit that DC did maintain a slow over rate for which they were fined, but to suspend the skipper for a game is shocking.

The match referee has given a huge jolt to DC, and it should not have happened, considering that this is the last stage of the tournament. People are talking about rules but according to me, this should not have happened,” he said while speaking on YouTube.

Shami’s statement may create controversy among fans and experts, as some may believe that a one-match ban is excessive, preferring a more nuanced approach that evaluates the reasons for the sluggish over rate.

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