Explained: Why Virat Kohli was fined 24 lakhs while David Warner was fined only 12 lakhs for slow-over rate offence

Virat Kohli was fined 24 lakhs following RCB's match vs RR, while David Warner got fined after SRH clash.

Recently, Virat Kohli, who has been captaining the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) was fined Rs 24 lakh when the Royal Challengers Bangalore maintained a slow over rate in their win against the Rajasthan Royals in Bengaluru.

And last night, Delhi Capitals (DC) captain David Warner was fined Rs 12 lakh for the Delhi Capitals' slow over rate against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Have you wondered why there is such a discrepancy in the number of fines levied by the IPL management on the captains of franchises for slow over rate offences.

As per the rule: “Each team is expected to complete an inning (while bowling) in flat 90 minutes or in an hour and a half. This includes the two strategic time-outs of 2 and a half minutes each. Time taken for DRS reviews/umpire reviews and player injuries are not included in these 90 minutes.”

Each captain and team is allowed three such offences and they are fined accordingly. Now let’s see what happens in each offence and what are the fines for the same.

What happens in the first instance of a team maintaining a slow over rate?

The captain of the side (while the team is bowling) in this case is fined Rs 12 lakh. No other player of the team is penalized. This is why Faf du Plessis alone was fined Rs 12 lakh when RCB maintained a slow over rate against LSG earlier this season.

What happens in the second instance of a team maintaining a slow over rate?

The team captain (when bowling) is fined Rs. 24 lakhs when a team is found guilty of maintaining a sluggish over rate for the second time in the same season. This is the reason Virat received this fine after it was discovered that RCB had recently maintained a slow over rate against RR.

The entire squad gets fined in addition to the captain. The impact substitution is among the team members who will be penalized either Rs. 6 lakh or 25% of their match fee, whichever is less.

What Happens In The Third Instance Of A Team Maintaining A Slow Over Rate?

The team captain (when bowling) gets fined Rs. 30 lakhs and given a one-match suspension when a team is found guilty of maintaining a sluggish over rate for the second time in the same season.

In addition, the team's other members (apart from the captain) were each penalized Rs. 12 lakhs or 50% of their match fee, whichever was less.

These penalties will then remain the same for each subsequent offense of maintaining a slow over rate.

Unless the BCCI is notified in writing of a formal change in captaincy, the punishments will still apply to the captain even if he transfers his duties to another person to avoid a possible ban.

This season, the likes of Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and David Warner have all been fined since their teams maintained a slow over rate in separate matches.