The problem of slow over-rate penalties has long been a sensitive issue in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Many captains, some prominent names among them, have suffered match suspensions and large fines because of sustained slow over-rate infractions. Nevertheless, with the unfolding of IPL 2025, the BCCI has incorporated updated playing conditions to punish such offences in a more systematic way.
Earlier, captains were directly suspended from matches for racking up slow over-rate offenses. This resulted in high-profile misses, including Rishabh Pant’s absence from a match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Hardik Pandya’s suspension during Mumbai Indians’ (MI) match against Lucknow SuperGiants (LSG) last season.
The new system, however, seeks to strike a balance between discipline and justice, being more in line with the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) model. In the new rules, captains will no longer be banned on the spot for slow over-rates. They will instead have demerit points in addition to fines between 25% and 75% of their match fee for a Level 1 offence.
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The quartet of demerit points can result in additional punishments, including a 100% match fee deduction or further demerit points. Although the threat of an instant match ban has been removed for slow over-rates, repeat offenders can still be suspended if the demerit points pile up over the next three years.
BCCI’s new IPL rule: Captains won’t face bans for slow over-rates, will receive demerit points instead. Bans only in extreme cases. [Vijay Tagore, Cricbuzz] #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/N0IDZ7bzLR
— Rajnish Singh 🇮🇳 (@rajnishvirat) March 20, 2025
An in-house communication, as quoted by Cricbuzz, explained, “For every four demerit points earned, the match referee can issue a penalty, either in the form of a 100 percent fine or further demerit points. But for slow over-rate, it will not lead to an immediate match ban.”
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Looking at Hardik Pandya’s instance from the 2024 season, his third offence earned him a one-match ban and a substantial ₹30 lakh fine. As a result, Pandya will be missing the first game of IPL 2025 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), with Suryakumar Yadav taking over as MI’s captain at Chepauk.
This balance of approach from the BCCI is designed to ensure discipline yet not unfairly punish captains, further adding a sense of responsibility to IPL 2025.
