Sangakkara banned for slow over-rate

Kumar Sangakkara, the captain of Kings XI Punjab, has been banned for one match after his side was found guilty of not completing their overs on time, for the third time in the IPL. The latest instance was on Saturday, in the defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in Mohali.

"KXIP slow on over rate again tonight. Sanga (Sangakkara) banned for 1 game," IPL chief executive Sundar Raman said on his Twitter page, shortly after the completion of the match. Sangakkara, being a repeat-offender was fined $50,000, while each of his team-mates were poorer by $20,000.

Right through the tournament, the IPL has come down hard on captains for shoddy over-rates. After the first three games of the 2010 season, four captains - Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Sangakkara - were fined $20,000 each because their teams were not able to complete its overs on time.

Punjab were once again at the receiving end, after falling one over short of the requirement during their defeat against Rajasthan on March 24.

"It is a matter of internal discussions. We are still finalising the details", Anil Srivatsa, Punjab's chief executive, told Cricinfo when asked if the franchise would be paying the fine imposed on Sangakkara and the team.

Despite being hauled up twice for the offence, Punjab fell short of the necessary over-rates against Kolkata, prompting the harsh punishment. The one-match ban for their captain adds to Punjab's woes, as they continue to struggle for form on the field, and are languishing at the bottom of the table with five defeats in six games. Their next match is against table-toppers Mumbai Indians, on March 30.