Mumbai, March 13 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders captain Sourav Ganguly was slapped with a $20,000 for the slow over rate during the team's opening match win against defending champions Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The Knight Riders were assessed to be three overs behind the required rate at the end of the match. Under the IPL's code of conduct, match referee Andy Pycroft fined Ganguly.

Knight Riders, who were placed at the bottom last year, stunned Chargers by 11 runs here Friday.

Knight Riders team director Jay Bhattacharya said it was a standard fine.

'It is a standard fine. There is nothing unusual about it,' he said.

The fines were raised last year during the second edition of the IPL in South Africa.