Sunil Narine became part of cricketing history when he became the first player to receive a red card in a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match. The incident occurred during a game between the Trinbago Knight Riders and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on Sunday, August 27 in St Kitts.
The red card was issued as a result of Narine’s team, the Trinbago Knight Riders, falling behind the required over-rate. This was in line with the new rules introduced by the CPL for the 2023 season to combat slow over-rates.
According to these rules, if the bowling team does not start the 18th over on time, one additional fielder must enter the 30-yard circle. If they miss the time limit at the start of the 19th over, another fielder must enter the circle. If the team is still behind the rate at the start of the 20th over, they lose a player selected by the captain and must have six fielders inside the circle.
Narine was the player chosen by the captain, Kieron Pollard, to leave the field after the team fell behind the required over-rate. It was an obvious choice as Narine completed his quota of four overs and claimed three wickets for 24 runs. Trinbago were left with only 10 players for the final over.
Pollard’s reaction to the red card was one of frustration and disbelief. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the new rule, calling it “absolutely ridiculous” and arguing that it detracts from the hard work put in by the players. He also pointed out that being penalised for being just 30-45 seconds behind the permissible over-rate seemed excessively harsh.
“To be honest, it will take away the hard work everyone has done,” he said. “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 penalised for 30-45 seconds in a tournament like this, it is absolutely ridiculous.”
Despite the setback, the Trinbago Knight Riders managed to secure their first victory of the season, thanks to strong performances from Nicholas Pooran, who scored 61 off 32 balls, and Pollard himself, who contributed 37 runs. However, the incident has sparked a debate about the fairness and effectiveness of the new over-rate rules in the CPL.
