Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer was fined for maintaining a slow-over rate during his side’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Tuesday.
A batting masterclass by Jos Buttler guided RR to a thrilling last-ball win against the two-time champions as they successfully chased off the 224 runs set by KKR at the Eden Gardens. Sunil Narine, the KKR opener, had also lit up the venue with his maiden T20 ton, guiding KKR to 223/6 in their 20 overs.
“Shreyas Iyer, the Kolkata Knight Riders captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over rate during their TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens on April 17,” said a statement from the IPL. As it was his team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Iyer was fined Rs 12 lakh.
Coming to the match, Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to field first. The maiden T20 century from Narine (109 in 56 balls, with 13 fours and six sixes) and cameos from Angkrish Raghuvanshi (30 in 18 balls, with five fours) and Rinku Singh (20* in nine balls, with four and two sixes) took KKR to 223/6 in their 20 overs. Avesh Khan (2/35) and Kuldip Sen (2/46) were the top bowlers for RR.
In the run-chase, RR kept losing wickets on regular intervals, but Buttler (107* in 60 balls, with nine fours and six sixes) kept the other end steady. Cameos from Riyan Parag (34 in 14 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Rovman Powell (26 in 13 balls, with a four and three sixes) helped Buttler steer his side to a two-wicket win on the last ball.
Narine (2/30) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/36) were the top bowlers for KKR. RR topped the table with this win, having won six, lost one and obtained 12 points. KKR is in the second spot, with four wins and two losses, giving them eight points.
