In a match of IPL 2026, the umpiring and technical procedures created such a drama that the pace of the match got spoiled. The game was halted for about 8 minutes due to two separate incidents involving Rahul Tewatia during Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowling. Due to this, PBKS could not complete its overs in the stipulated time. The result was that a fine of Rs 12 lakh was imposed on captain Shreyas Iyer.
After this fine, the biggest question now arising is that when the delay was due to umpiring and technical check, then how right is it to hold the captain responsible for it? Let us tell you that the fourth match of IPL 2026 was played between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans. After this match, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) imposed a fine of Rs 12 lakh on Shreyas Iyer.
This incident happened with Rahul Tewatia in the 19th over. The first incident happened after the dismissal of Washington Sundar when Tewatia reached the crease. But even before he could take the strike, the umpire stopped the game to check his bat. Actually, bat gauge test has been made a regular procedure in IPL since last season. In this test, Tewatia’s bat did not meet the prescribed criteria. After this the umpire instructed him to change the bat immediately. The incident halted the game for a few minutes and its video later went viral on social media.
After this, on the fifth ball of the 19th over, Vijaykumar Visakh’s ball was seen going over Tewatia’s head and the umpire gave it a wide. PBKS was not happy with this decision so they immediately took a review. During the review, it took a long time for the graphics to appear on the screen, which slowed down the entire process. Only after a long time did the graphics appear on the screen did the real review begin. This drama continued for about 5 minutes. In the end the decision remained the same as given by the on-field umpire.
During the match, PBKS team could not complete its overs within the stipulated time. After which a fine of Rs 12 lakh has been imposed on Shreyas Iyer due to slow over rate. According to the official statement issued by IPL, Shreyas Iyer has been found guilty under Article 2.22 of the Code of Conduct. Since this was the first offense of the PBKS team this season, the minimum penalty was imposed on the captain as per the rules.
When the review was getting delayed due to graphics, the commentator in the Hindi commentary had also raised the point that due to this, PBKS’s bowling could end later than the scheduled time and if this happens, the captain is sure to be fined. In view of such incidents, there is a need to make some changes in the rules.
In IPL, the penalty for slow over rate is not imposed by counting the minutes. Rather, it is seen whether the team completed its 20 overs within the stipulated time i.e. 90 minutes or not. Each team has to complete 20 overs within 90 minutes and there is also a time for strategic time out. Apart from this, the over rate is also fixed. The team has to maintain a pace of around 14.11 overs per hour. If the team lags behind this stipulated time then it is considered as slow over rate and then the captain has to bear the consequences in the form of fine.
