The Indian Premier League has some of the toughest rules in cricket. Players often face fines and even bans for breaking them. Recently, Lakshya Garg, not Dikshesh Rath, from the Lucknow Super Giants, was in trouble for a gesture towards Abhishek Sharma during a match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was fined half his match fee and banned for one game. This isn’t the first time players have been punished this season. Several have been fined for slow over rates.
When players get fined, the money comes out of their match fee. But how does this work? Let’s break it down.
Match Fees and Fines: How It Works
Players get a certain amount of money for each match, separate from their auction contract. For example, if a player was bought for 1 crore rupees at the auction, they might get an additional 7.5 lakh rupees for each match. If they’re fined, the fine comes out of this 7.5 lakh rupees. So, if a player is fined half their match fee, they only get 3.5 lakh rupees for that match.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India introduced new rules for the 2025 season. Now, teams can be fined up to 12 lakh rupees for slow over rates. Since a player’s match fee is 7.5 lakh rupees, a fine of 12 lakh rupees would need to be covered by two matches. Where the fined money goes is not clear, but it goes to the BCCI.