Who are Vipraj Nigam and Anukul Roy of Team India AK, whose mistake cost heavily on Team India. Why did Sri Lanka A get 10 extra runs even before the start of the innings? Was this match tied because of these runs?
Cricket Penalty Runs Rule: In the fourth match of the Tri-Nation A series being played in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, the continuous mistakes made by the players of Team India A proved to be very costly. Sri Lanka A got the benefit of these mistakes and they got 10 runs as bonus even before their innings started. The names of Anukul Roy and Vipraj Nigam came to the fore in these mistakes made by India A. The special thing is that even after getting a warning, Vipraj Nigam repeated the same mistake again, due to which the entire team had to bear the loss.
Who is Vipraj Nigam?
Vipraj Nigam is counted among the emerging all-rounders of Indian cricket. He bats aggressively with his right hand and also bowls leg-break. He was born on 28 July 2004 in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. He represents the Uttar Pradesh team in domestic cricket. Vipraj first came into limelight when he took 20 wickets while playing for Lucknow Falcons in the UP T20 League. After his brilliant performance, he got a place in the Uttar Pradesh team in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Ranji Trophy. Delhi Capitals bought him for Rs 50 lakh in the mega auction of IPL 2025. In his debut match, he played a quick inning of 39 runs in just 15 balls against Lucknow Super Giants. Apart from this, bowling also played a big role in the team’s victory by taking important wickets.
What mistake did Anukul Roy and Vipraj Nigam make?
- The first mistake during India A’s batting happened in the 33rd over. All-rounder Anuvad Roy was found running on the protected area of the pitch. After this the umpire gave the first warning to the team.
- But two overs later, in the 35th over, Vipraj Nigam also ran on the same field. This was the second mistake, after which, as per the rules, the fielding team Sri Lanka A was given 5 runs as penalty.
- Despite this the mistake did not stop here. In the 37th over, Vipraj Nigam once again ran to the protected area. As a result, a penalty of 5 runs was imposed on India A for the second time.
- In this way a total of 10 runs were added to Sri Lanka A’s account and their innings started with the score of 10/0 even before the first ball was bowled.
What is the ‘Protected Area’ rule of cricket?
- In cricket, the middle part of the pitch is considered very important. This part is called “protected area”. According to the rules, batsmen are not allowed to run intentionally or recklessly on this protected area. If a player does this for the first time the umpire gives a warning.
- After this, if the same team violates the rule again, then a penalty of 5 runs is given to the opposition team. If the mistake is repeated continuously then additional 5 runs can be added to the opposition team’s account each time.
Why is security of protected area important?
This part of the pitch is very important for both bowlers and batsmen during the match. The spikes in players’ shoes can damage this area. If this area is continuously run on, rough marks and potholes can form on the pitch. This can affect the bounce, turn of the ball and the conditions of the entire match. For this reason, the rules of cricket are very strict regarding the security of this area and there is a provision for penalty in case of violation.
Team India A had to pay a heavy price
India A suffered a total loss of 10 runs due to three errors by Anukul Roy and Vipraj Nigam. Whereas Sri Lanka A got an advantage of 10 runs without playing any ball. Such cases are rarely seen in cricket, hence this match of Dambulla became a topic of discussion due to the mistakes of the players and penalty runs.