Rajasthan Royals‘ captain, Sanju Samson, has incurred a 30% fine of his match fees for violating the IPL’s code of conduct during the team’s recent clash against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Samson’s breach pertains to a Level 1 offence under Article 2.8 of the code, specifically for showing dissent towards an umpire’s decision. Accepting his fault, Samson acknowledged the match referee’s penalty without contest.

Sanju Samson fined for his catch

During the match, Samson, who led the RR batting charge with a commendable 86 off 46 deliveries, faced a pivotal moment in the 16th over of their pursuit of 222 runs. Caught by Shai Hope at long-on off Mukesh Kumar’s bowling, the catch witnessed a brief stumble from Hope near the boundary edge. Following a review by TV umpire Michael Gough, it was confirmed that Hope had cleanly taken the catch.

In response to his dismissal, Samson engaged in a prolonged conversation with on-field umpires KN Ananthapadmanabhan and Ulhas Gandhe before departing from the field.

Coach reactions and match impact of Samson’s penalty

The incident held significance as it occurred at a crucial juncture in the match, with RR’s aspirations of chasing down the target heavily reliant on Samson’s performance. RR head coach Kumar Sangakkara expressed empathy towards the third umpire for the challenging decision.

Kumar Sangakkara added, “It depends on replays and angles, and sometimes you think the foot’s touched,” he said at his post-match press conference. “But it is a difficult one for the third umpire to judge. The game was at a crucial stage, so that happens in cricket. We have different perspectives on it. At the end of the day, you have to stand by that decision in terms of what the umpires did. If we have any other kind of opinion on it, we will share it with the umpire and sort it out. But irrespective of that dismissal, we still should have probably seen that game home.”

Meanwhile, Capitals’ assistant coach Pravin Amre praised Hope’s agility in recovering his balance to complete the catch, highlighting the importance of the moment in shaping the outcome of the match.

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Pravin Amre said, “In IPL some moments are very crucial, and it [Hope’s catch] was a deciding moment in the game,” Amre said. “Sanju was batting so well. We have to give credit to the way Hope judged that catch, he balanced himself [well] with that. Umpires are there, and there is so much technology. Once he is given out by the third umpire, it was more [clear]. We also thought from the dugout that he has [touched the boundary cushions] but it [happens] in the game, and the umpire’s decision is the final decision. It wasn’t an easy catch, it was really travelling. After the game also I spoke [to Hope], he anticipated that very well, but he said the ball came very, very fast.”