‘Absolutely ridiculous’ – Kieron Pollard criticizes CPL rule after Sunil Narine shown red card for over-rate breach in a CPL 2023

Trinbago Knight Riders became the first cricket team to receive a red card on Sunday, with Sunil Narine paying the penalty for his team’s slow overs-rate in a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match.

This season, CPL organizers implemented a number of measures to combat slow-over rates, including a red card for a fielding side found to be behind schedule at the commencement of the final over of an innings.

The Kieron Pollard-led side failed to complete the 19 of the 20 overs within the time limit and that saw them getting penalised.

The side thus had to play with 10 players instead of 11 in the last over with a restriction of a maximum of two fielders outside the 30-yard circle. Pollard decided to send Sunil Narine off the ground for the last over.

As per the new rules in the CPL, a team can put a maximum of four players outside the 30-yard circle as a penalty if it fails to start the 18th over in time. If the same happens at the start of the 19th over, another player needs to enter the circle with a maximum of three allowed outside the 30-yard zone. If a bowling team fails to start the 20th over in time, the penalty forces them to bring another player inside the circle with one going off the ground.

Pollard was unhappy with the overs-rate penalty.

“To be honest, it will take away the hard work everyone has done, (prior to the penalties)” he said. “We are like the pawns and we are going to do what we are told.

“We are going to play as fast as we can. If you are penalised for 30-45 seconds in a tournament like this, it is absolutely ridiculous.”a fuming Pollard said after the match.

The penalty proved costly for the Knight Riders as Dwayne Bravo was smashed for 18 runs from Sherfane Rutherford in the last over of St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ innings.

Rutherford played a captain’s knock of 62 not out off 38 balls as his side posted 178 for 5 in 20 overs. Narine was the pick of the bowlers for the Knight Riders with figures of 3 for 24 in his four overs.

In reply, Nicholas Pooran’s 61 off 32 guided the Pollard-led side to a comfortable six-wicket victory.