Kings XI Punjab captain Kumar Sangakkara has been banned for one match after his side was found to be guilty of slow over-rate for the third time in the ongoing Indian Premier League III.
Already reeling under one loss after another, Kings XI were dealt a further blow when Sangakkara was penalised for not completing the overs on time during their 39-run defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in Mohali on Saturday.
“KXIP slow on over rate again tonight. Sanga (Sangakkara) banned for one game,” IPL chief executive Sundar Raman said on his Twitter page.
From the onset, the organisers of the Twenty20 tournament has come down hard on captains for shoddy over—rates. After the first three games this year, four captains —— Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Sangakkara —— were fined USD 20,000 each for slow over—rates.
Kings XI were penalised for the second time for the sane offence during their defeat against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
While Sangakkara, being a repeat—offender was fined USD 40,000, each of Kings XI players were docked with USD 10,000 penalty.
Sangakkara’s ban adds to Kings XI’s woes as they are languishing at the bottom of the table with as many as five defeats out six games they have played so far.
The Punjab side’s next match is against table-toppers Mumbai Indians on Tuesday at Mumbai.
