With more than 50 matches played in the ongoing Indian Premier League IPL 2025 season, there has been a sudden upward trend in the slow-over rate penalties. As a result, several team captains were fined a specified percentage of their match fees, with the league implementing strict timing regulations.
Especially, in a dynamic-paced T20 format, the over-rate rules have been made much stricter than ever before, which resulted the fines to become a recurring pattern in the ongoing season.
Let’s take a look at the list of captains who have faced the harsh consequences of this rule and were fined for slow overrate in IPL 2025 so far.
Team Captains Who Were Fined for Slow Overrate in IPL 2025
The following is the list of eight captains who were penalized for committing the slow overrate offense:
1. Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians):
Following the previous season’s repeated overrate violations, Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya had to serve a one-match suspension in his team’s campaign opener of the IPL 2025 season against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
However, the Indian all-rounder once again was penalized with INR 12 lakhs for a slow over-rate against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 29 (Saturday).
Fortunately, Hardik didn’t serve a ban as it was his first offense of the current edition. Moreover, the IPL has moved on from such a system and currently imposes penalties in terms of fines and on-field restrictions.
2. Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants):
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant was fined INR 12 lakhs for a slow overrate at home game against Mumbai Indians on April 04 (Friday).
Once again, Pant was found guilty of breaching the IPL’s code of conduct for the second time, that too against MI at Wankhede Stadium on April 27 (Sunday). This time, he was fined INR 24 lakhs, while each player from the playing XI had to pay a fine of INR 6 lakhs or 25% of the match fee (the lower between these two).
3. Shreyas Iyer (Punjab Kings):
Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer was penalized INR 12 lakhs against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk on April 30 (Wednesday), despite his team falling one over short. In addition, an extra player was forced to be placed within the 30-yard circle from the 19th over.
4. Shubman Gill (Gujarat Titans):
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill had to pay his match fees of INR 12 lakhs as a penalty for slow overrate against Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 19 (Saturday).
5. Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals):
Axar Patel, the new skipper of Delhi Capitals skipper gave away INR 12 lakhs of his match fee after he was found guilty of the slow over-rate offense at home game against Mumbai Indians (MI).
6. Riyan Parag (Rajasthan Royals):
Riyan Parag, who led Rajasthan Royals as the stand-in skipper to replace the injured Sanju Samson, had to face the wrath of an INR 12 lakh fine for committing the slow over-rate offense against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati on March 30 (Sunday).
7. Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals):
After Parag, it was Sanju Samson who became the second captain for the Rajasthan Royals to commit the slow over-rate offense. It all happened during RR’s match against the Gujarat Titans.
Samson had to pay an INR 24 lakh fine. Also, the rest of the members in the playing XI were penalized either 25% or INR 6 lakh of their match fee, as it was the second violation in this season by the entire team.
8. Rajat Patidar (Royal Challengers Bengaluru):
It was the first instance when the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar was fined INR 12 lakhs for a slow over-rate offense against the Mumbai Indians on April 07 (Monday) at the Wankhede.
Also Read: IPL 2025 Analysis: Bowlers with the Highest Number of Wides Delivered So Far
BCCI New Rules to Penalize IPL Captain for Slow Overrate
Unlike the previous IPL seasons, the latest rules imposed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) clarify that the team captain would be penalized for slow overrate rather than immediate suspensions.
Based on the meeting held in Mumbai on March 20 (Thursday), the BCCI has set up a protocol similar to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
According to this rule, the team captains will receive demerit points that will be valid for three years rather than serving a one-match ban based on the severity of the violation, categorized into these three different levels:
| Level of Offense | % of Fine from Match Fee | Demerit Points |
| Level 1 | 25% | 1 |
| Level 2 | 50% | 3 to 4 |
| Level 3 | 75% | 5 to 8 |
Depending upon the demerit points accumulated, a player’s suspension in his forthcoming IPL matches will be determined in the following ways:
| Number of Demerit Points | Suspension (Number of Match Bans) |
| 4 to 7 | 1 |
| 8 to 11 | 2 |
| 12 to 15 | 3 |
| Above 16 | 5 |
Effect of the Penalty on IPL Teams
As teams are already fighting for a playoff berth, facing high competition, injuries, player rotations in the playing XI, the additional threat of over-rate control has turned out to be a core part of captaincy.
Considering overall match durations and broadcast timings, the IPL governing body has clarified that slow over-rates will be taken seriously and will be defined as breaching the league’s code of conduct.
It’s not just being fined, but repeating such offenses could result in suspension for the team’s captain, which might complicate the situation for the entire squad, particularly when actively chasing a playoff spot.
Final Opinion
As the current season inches closer towards playoffs, the teams will be under huge pressure not only in terms of exhibiting outstanding performance, but also in maintaining on-field discipline.
Overall, the stringent implementation of slow-over rate rules is a message that promotes cricketing supremacy, along with professionalism and effective time management.
