‘Bechaare ko do match me captaincy mile, usme bhi fine’ – Fans react as RCB stand-in skipper Virat Kohli gets fined for slow-over rate against RR

Royal Challengers Bangalore batter Virat Kohli, who also lead the side in the previous two games against Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals, has been fined Rs 24 lakhs for RCB’s slow over-rate during the match against RR.

In a statement issued by the Indian Premier League, it is mentioned that RCB skipper Kohli has been fined for slow over-rate in their last match against RR, during the second innings of the match, while members of the rest of the team have been copped less fine along with their match fees.

“Royal Challengers Bangalore, who had named Virat Kohli as their Captain for their game against Rajasthan Royals, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during their Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Rajasthan Royals at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 23, 2023,” said the league in its statement.

“As it was his team’s second offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Kohli has been fined Rs. 24 lahks and each member of the Playing XI, including the impact substitute, is fined Rs. 6 lahks or 25 per cent of the match fee, whichever is lesser,” the statement further said.

Kohli is back in captaincy duties due to Faf du Plessis’ injury

As they were behind the over-rate, RCB were allowed to place only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the last over. However, RR needed 20 runs off the last over, and Harshal Patel only conceded 12 as RCB won the game by 7 runs.

Notably, Kohli, who was the skipper of the franchise from 2013 to 2021, decided to step down from captaincy before the previous season in 2022. After that, Faf du Plessis was appointed as the new skipper after RCB bought him for INR 7 crore in the 2022 auction.

However, due to the impact player rule in the ongoing season, Kohli was seen back in the captaincy duties as he lead the side in the last couple of games as Du Plessis, who has a rib injury, played as an impact player in both matches.