Delhi Capitals (DC) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) had their match on March 28 and RR defeated DC by 12 runs. In the first innings, there was a move by RR that left DC coach Ricky Ponting fuming and he was seen having an animated chat with the umpire on the number of overseas players Royals can have on the field.
South African pacer Nandre Burger had come in as the impact substitute for Shimron Hetmyer, and then a couple of balls later, RR brought Rovman Powell as a substitute fielder. After this in the dugout, Ponting was engaged in an animated chat with the fourth umpire. He was questioning how RR started with three overseas players in the playing eleven and now they have four on the field right now. The fourth umpire gave the clarity to DC head coach Ponting.
As per the rules of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Royals did nothing wrong they were within the rules and regulations set by the IPL.
Know what the rule says:
Rule 1.2.5 states that each team may not name more than 4 Overseas players in its starting eleven for any match.
Rule 1.2.6 states that a team may not have more than 4 Overseas players on the field of play at any time during any match. Thus, if the team names a maximum of 4 Overseas players in its starting XI, an Overseas player may only take the field as a substitute fielder if the player that he is replacing is an Overseas player.
In case, the playing eleven has three overseas players like the Royals did last night, then an overseas player can enter the field as a substitute fielder only for the overseas player he is replacing. Hence, there are four overseas players on the field which is well within the rules. And, the rule says four overseas players can be on the field.
RR win second match in a row
Last night, batting first RR scored 185 runs due to Riyan Parag’s brilliance in batting. He smashed 84 runs off just 45 balls and took his team to a total of 185 with he made a partnership of 52 runs with Dhruv Jurel and another 43 runs partnership with Hetmyer. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh gave a good start, but DC managed to get only 173 in 20 overs. Tristan Stubbs and Axar Patel tried their best to achieve the target but fell short.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK: