Explained: Confusion over overseas-player rule that left Ricky Ponting fuming during Rajasthan vs Delhi game in IPL

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals (RR) hosted Delhi Capitals (DC) in another mouth-watering encounter of Indian Premier League ( IPL ) 2024 on Thursday in Jaipur, and while Royals prevailed by 12 runs in a close finish, the game also saw a controversial moment.

At the start of Delhi's chase of 186 to win, the crowd witnessed a dramatic interruption due to a rule-related dispute.

DC's head coach, Ricky Ponting , and director of cricket, Sourav Ganguly, got involved in an animated conversation with the fourth umpire when RR opted to field Rovman Powell as a substitute fielder.

The controversy arose when DC raised concerns about RR potentially violating IPL rules by fielding five overseas players simultaneously. RR decided to start the match with three overseas players in Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, and Trent Boult. But in the second innings, they brought in Nandre Burger as an impact player, replacing Hetmyer.

The rule is stated below:

RULE 1.2.5 - Each team may not name more than 4 overseas players (as defined in the IPL Player Regulations) in its starting eleven for any match.

RULE 1.2.6 - A team may not have more than 4 overseas players on the field of play at any time during any match. Thus, if the team names the maximum 4 Ooverseas players in its starting XI, an overseas player may only take the field as a substitute fielder if the player that he is replacing is an overseas player. If the team names less than 4 overseas players in its starting XI, overseas players may only enter the field of play as substitute fielders to the extent that by doing so, they do not take the total number of overseas players representing that team on the field to more than 4.

The controversy somewhat marred the excitement for a few minutes but could not overshadow the thrilling experience as Riyan Parag 's unbeaten knock of 84 runs off 45 balls propelled RR to a challenging total of 185/5.

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Despite DC's valiant efforts, they fell short of the target, managing 173 for 5 in their allotted 20 overs.

The match showcased stellar performances from players on both sides, including Nandre Burger and Yuzvendra Chahal, who took crucial wickets for RR, with Avesh Khan's impressive bowling in the final over handing the Royals their second consecutive win of the 2024 season.