Punjab Kings have made a brilliant start to IPL 2026, but the team has been punished for the second time in a row for a single mistake. The team beat Gujarat Titans in the first match and then beat Chennai Super Kings at their home ground to get their second straight win. However, strict action has been taken against captain Shreyas Iyer after repeating the mistake of slow over rate in both the matches.
36 lakh loss in two matches
In the match played in Chennai on April 3, Chennai Super Kings batted first and set a target of 210 runs against Punjab Kings. Punjab achieved this target in the 19th over and won. But even after this win there was trouble for the team as they once again broke the slow over rate rule.
According to the information released after the match, Shreyas Iyer has been fined a whopping ₹24 lakh. As per the IPL rules, as this is his second offense this season, the penalty amount has been doubled. Before this, he was also fined ₹12 lakh in the match against Gujarat Titans. Thus, Iyer has suffered a total loss of ₹ 36 lakh in just two matches.
Impact on the whole team, not just the captain
This time not only the captain but the entire team has also suffered this mistake. As a rule, only the captain is penalized if the team rates a slow over for the first time, but the playing eleven (including impact players) are also penalized if the same mistake is made a second time.
Priyansh Arya, who became the 'Player of the Match' in this match, played an important role in winning the team with his aggressive batting. However, they too could not escape the penalty. Apart from Shreyas Iyer, other players in the team including Priyansh Arya have been fined ₹ 6 lakh or 25 per cent of their match fee (whichever is less).
Warning between wins
Punjab Kings may have had a strong start to the season, but the problem of slow over rate is becoming a concern for the team. If the team does not rectify the mistake, more severe punishments, such as a match ban on the captain, may be imposed going forward.
In this way, Punjab Kings have shown their strength on the field, but need to be more careful in following the rules.
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