Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) roar back to form as they crushed the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by eight wickets at the Ekana stadium in Lucknow on April 19, Friday. Fans witnessed a thrilling comeback attempt from CSK, fueled by a classic knock from MS Dhoni (28 runs off 9 balls) following a solid half-century from Ravindra Jadeja. This pushed CSK's total to a fighting 176/6 despite a slow start. However, LSG skipper KL Rahul shut the door on any further drama with a match-winning 82-run knock, guiding his team out of a two-match losing streak.
KL Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwad fined for slow over-rate
However, both KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad found themselves at the receiving end of BCCI as they were heavily fined for breaching IPL's code of conduct. An official IPL statement revealed that both Rahul and CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad were fined Rs 12 lakh each for their teams' slow over-rate during the match.
“KL Rahul, Captain, Lucknow Super Giants has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match 34 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against Chennai Super Kings at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow,” the statement read.
“As it was his team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Rahul was fined INR 12 Lac,” it added.
While chasing a challenging target of 176/6, LSG's opening duo of Quinton de Kock (54) and KL Rahul (82) laid a strong foundation with a formidable 132-run partnership before Nicholas Pooran scored an unbeaten 12-ball 23 to seal the victory for Lucknow. LSG reached the target in just 19 overs with 8 wickets to spare.
After the loss to LSG, Chennai Super Kings still hold onto third place in IPL 2024 points table with 8 points. Lucknow Super Giants, also on 8 points with 4 wins from 7, climb to fifth place.
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