LSG vs CSK: KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad both penalised heavily BCCI for this mistake

Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings captain KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been fined INR 12 Lakhs each for maintaining a slow over rate last night at the Ekana stadium.

It was for the first time this season that both teams in a match were found guilty of this violation and since it was Rahul and Gaikwad's first offense, the BCCI have fined the minimum amount of 12 Lakhs. Previously, the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Hardik Pandya have also been fined for the same. 

This particular fine will hurt Ruturaj Gaikwad more than it would to KL Rahul. Gaikwad's Chennai Super Kings were playing their 4th home league stage match of the season at the Ekana stadium, wherein they suffered their 3rd loss of the season.

CSK's next match is against the same opponents on 23rd April in a reverse fixture at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. Last night's result did not cause any major upside down in the points table as LSG retained their 5th spot in the table. 

KL Rahul's side are level on points with 2nd-placed Kolkata Knight Riders, 3rd-placed CSK and 4th-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad. The North Indian outfit could not go up to the second spot due to a poor net run rate of +0.123. 

BCCI confirms KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad's sanctions

Right after the match ended in Chepauk and after the post-match presentation where KL Rahul received the man of the match award, the BCCI confirmed sanctions on Rahul and Gaikwad.

For the latter, it will be a major setback given the fact that his team squandered the opportunity to go level with Rajasthan Royals on 10 points. Whereas for Rahul, the fine won't hurt that much as he compensated the amount with his MOTM sum. 

But, it will definitely be a good lesson for both KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad. While Rahul has captaining in IPL for the past couple of seasons now, it is Gaikwad's first Premier League season as captain of the 5-time champions.  

"KL Rahul, Captain, Lucknow Super Giants has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match 34 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against Chennai Super Kings. As it was his team’s first offense of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offenses." - the BCCI released in a statement. 

The same statement was released for Ruturaj Gaikwad as well. 

Rahul and De Kock spoil CSK's party 

Meanwhile, LSG openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock spoiled the party of CSK with an almost one-sided victory in front of home fans. CSK had posted a target of 177 for LSG through the efforts of Ajinkta Rahane (36 off 24), Ravindra Jadeja (57 off 40), Moeen Ali (30 off 20), and former captain MS Dhoni (28 off 9). 

In response, Rahul and de Kock initiated the chase extremely well as they had put together a partnership of 134 runs before the latter's departure on 54 off 43. Then Rahul joined him in the dugout after a vintage knock of 82 off 53 while Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran ensured the win by scoring the winning runs.