Sanju Samson, the Rajasthan Royals skipper, had a tough outing against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday, April 9. The Royals lost the match by 58 runs as they suffered their third loss of the season.
Samson himself scored 41 runs off 28 balls but failed to kick on for his team when they needed him the most. Overall, it was a disappointing outing as the Royals lost yet another game away from home.
To add insult to injury, Sanju Samson was slapped with a fine of Rs 24 lakhs after his team maintained a slow over-rate against Gujarat Titans. This was the second breach of conduct by the Royals in this edition of the IPL. The Royals previously had maintained a slow-over rate against CSK with Riyan Parag leading the side. Though the Royals won that match against the Super Kings.
Second Slow Over-Rate Offence By Rajasthan Royals In IPL 2025
This was Rajasthan’s second offense under Article 2.22 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which comprises rules regarding the minimum over-rate offense.
“The rest of the members of the Playing XI, including the Impact Player, will be fined either INR six lakhs or 25 per cent of their respective match fees, whichever is lesser,” an IPL media release read.
Gujarat Titans posted a mammoth 218 runs for 6 wickets after they were asked to bat first by the Royals. GT's charge was led by Sai Sudharshan (82 runs off 53 balls). Jos Buttler (36 runs off 25 balls), Shahrukh Khan (36 runs off 20 balls), and Rahul Tewatia (24 runs off 12 balls) played important cameos, helping the team post a mammoth total.
The Royals lost the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal (six runs off seven balls) early in the chase. Sanju Samson (41 runs off 28 balls) added a 48-run stand with Riyan Parag (26 runs off 14 balls). Once RR lost both Samson and Parag, it was Shimron Hetmyer (52 runs off 32 balls) who played a lone hand in the second half of the chase. Despite his best efforts, the Royals fell well short of the target in the end.
