Jaipur, April 11 Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson has been fined Rs 12 lakh after his team maintained a slow over rate during their last-ball three-wicket defeat to Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Samson made an unbeaten 68 off 38 deliveries and shared a crucial 130-run stand with number four batter Riyan Parag (78) as RR made an imposing 196/3 in their 20 overs.
In reply, GT skipper Shubman Gill made 72 while Rashid Khan starred with a cameo of 24 not out off 11 balls, including hitting a four on the last ball off Avesh Khan, to give the visitors’ a thrilling win and snap RR’s unbeaten streak in the tournament, also their first loss at home.
"As it was his team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, Samson was fined Rs 12 lakhs," said a statement from the IPL.
After the game ended, Samson found it hard to find words in describing to the broadcasters how his team ended up losing the match to GT. "To be honest it's very hard to speak at the moment actually. It's the hardest job in the tournament when the captain loses the game and he is supposed to tell where we lost actually. When the emotion calms down a bit, after few hours, I might tell you where exactly we lost."
Samson felt 196 was indeed a winning total on the pitch, till GT fought hard to snatch the win from RR’s jaws. "You have to give credit to the Gujarat Titans, the way they bowled, the way the batted, the way they fought. When I was batting I thought something around 180 was a fighting score.
"I think the way Shimron Hetmyer dominated at the end of the innings and we got 196, I thought that was a winning score on this wicket. I think there was no dew. The wicket was a bit dry and low and with our bowling line-up we should have done it."
Despite the defeat, RR are still top-ranked side on the points table and will now head to Mullanpur to play Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Saturday evening.
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