“We are like the pawns and are going to do what we are told” - Pollard on CPL red-card

In a first for cricket, Trinbago Knight Riders had to endure the misfortune of playing with only 10 men in the last phase of their match against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on Monday for a slow over-rate offense. The rule was first brought into action during the CPL 2023, with Sunil Narine becoming the first player to leave the field of play in the final stretches of play after TKR found themselves short of the target overs in that period.

Taking full advantage of the same, Sherfane Rutherford collected 18 runs from that over bowled by Dwayne Bravo. Even though the Knight Riders scampered home at the end, the rule didn’t go down well with TKR skipper Kieron Pollard, who called it "absolutely ridiculous".

"To be honest, it will take away the hard work everyone has done. 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 penalized for 30-45 seconds in a tournament like this, it is absolutely ridiculous,” Pollard said on the broadcast after the game.

What does the rule say?

To ensure that games are finished in good time, penalties for slow over rates will kick in from the 18th over, and will be as follows: 

> If behind the required over rate at the start of the 18th over, one additional player must enter the fielding circle (for a total of 5)

> If still behind the rate at the start of the 19th over, two additional fielders must enter the fielding circle (for a total of 6)

> If still behind the rate at the start of the 20th over, teams will lose a player from the field (selected by the captain) and have six inside the fielding circle. 

> There will also be an onus on batting teams to keep the game moving. After a first and final warning from the umpires, the batting team will be given a 5 penalty for each instance of time wasting. 

"Over rates will be monitored by the third umpire and communicated to the captains via on-field umpires at the end of every over, as well as to the crowd and TV audience, with graphics showing how far they are behind (or ahead of) the over rate. Dispensations will be given for injuries, DRS and time-wasting by the batting side where appropriate," a CPL statement said.