How Sourav Ganguly, Ricky Ponting failed to save Rishabh Pant from BCCI's severe punishment for DC's do-or-die RCB game

Delhi Capitals will be without their captain, Rishabh Pant, when they take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday with the hope of staying alive in the race to the playoffs in IPL 2024. Pant was suspended by the BCCI, earlier in the day, for one match after finding him guilty of breaching the IPL Code of Conduct over maintaining a slow over-rate during their previous game against Rajasthan Royals on May 7 in New Delhi. This was his third slow over-rate penalty this season and hence was suspended by the Indian cricket board for a game, implying that he will not be in action for the match against RCB.

DC are currently placed fifth in the table with 12 points in 12 matches, while RCB stand seventh with 10 points from 12 games this season. Delhi remain in the hunt to secure the playoffs spot, as a win in Bengaluru could take them past Chennai Super Kings to the fourth spot. However, a loss could see RCB topple them to grab the fifth position in the table. While the latter result would certainly not eliminate DC from the competition, it would significantly reduce their chances of a top-four finish.

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With so much at stake for the Capitals, the franchise's Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly and head coach Ricky Ponting appeared on behalf of the team to appeal against the decision to suspend Pant for the match against RCB. Meanwhile, BCCI CEO Hemang Amin represented the board during the hearing which conducted by BCCI Ombudsman Justice Vineet Saran.

Representing Pant, Ganguly argued that 13 sixes were hit by Rajasthan Royals batters, but the assigned time allowance to retrieve the ball was granted on three occasions only. He further questioned why the time taken on the DRS review for Sanju Samson's dismissal and the time consumed over the RR captain's protest were ignored.

"Mr. Sourav Ganguly, appearing for the Appellant, has submitted that during the course of the innings of Rajasthan Royals, 13 sixes were hit by their batters but the consequential. Ball Retrieval Allowance of 0.30 minutes has only been granted on three (3) occasions to the Appellant. Further, it has been submitted that the 3.0 minutes allowance granted for the review of the dismissal of Mr. Sanju Samson (batter of Rajasthan Royals) was insufficient as Mr. Samson had protested, which consumed extra time, and the dismissal involved a review time of more than 3 minutes," read BCCI's document on Pant's hearing.

Ponting, on the other hand, argued that "owing to delivery of multiple wide deliveries towards the late end of the innings by the bowlers of the Delhi Capitals, there remained no time with the Appellant to compensate for the delay caused."

Pant, meanwhile, protested against BCCI's decision with Delhi's weather as one of his reasons before reiterating the Samson incident.

"Mr. Rishabh Pant, the Appellant has submitted that the delay was also caused due to the fact that the match day in consideration was the hottest day in Delhi and thus the heat was a major contributing factor in the slow over rate," the document further added.

Why was Ganguly and Ponting's argument not considered by BCCI?

In response to the argument over ball-retrieval time, Amin, BCCI CEO, countered saying that DC batters smashed 12 sixes during the match and yet Rajasthan Royals managed to maintain the over-rate. The board representative further pointed out that the appellant failed to provide any written submissions, for which they were specifically granted liberty, and also did not provide any evidence or calculation as to how the discretionary allowance granted by the Match Referee is inadequate or insufficient.