Earlier this month, in an attempt to counter slow overrate, the Caribbean Premiere League came up with a new rule that included a red card system like football. On Monday, during the 12th edition of the ongoing CPL, the red card was used for the first time to penalise Trinbago Knight Riders for slow over-rate in the match against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. As a result, skipper Kieron Pollard was forced to send off Sunil Narine.
The Kieron Pollard-led side were failed to complete 19 of the 20 overs within the given time limit and got penalised. Therefore, the side had to play the game with 10 players instead of 11 in the last over.
According to the newly made rule, a side can place a maximum of four players outside the 30-yard circle as a penalty if they fail to deliver the 18th over in time. Another player needs to enter the circle with a maximum of three allowed outside the 30-yard if the same happens at the start of the 19th over. When the team who is bowling, fails to begin the 20th over in time, the penalty compels them to bring another player within the circle with one going outside the ground.
"To be honest, it will take away the hard work everyone has done (prior to the penalties). 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 after the match.
Eventually, the penalty came as a curse for the Knight Riders as Dwayne Bravo was hammered for 18 runs from Sherfane Rutherford in the last over of St Kitts and Nevis Patriots' innings. Rutherford batted well and played a skipper’s knock of an unbeaten 62 runs in just 38 balls as his side ended up scoring 178 for 5 in 20 overs. Narine was the star of the bowlers for the Knight Riders as he ended with the figures of 3 for 24 in his four overs.