Chennai, April 15 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane has been fined Rs 12 lakh after his team maintained a slow over-rate during their match against Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

“Kolkata Knight Riders Captain Ajinkya Rahane has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match No. 22 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai,” the IPL informed in a release on Tuesday night.

“As this was his team’s first offence of the season under Article 2.22 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences, Rahane was fined INR 12 lakh,” the release informed.

Noor Ahmad (3-21) and Anshul Kamboj (2-32) shared five wickets between them as Chennai Super Kings won their second match in the Indian Premier League (IPL), moving up to four points from five games and moving to eighth spot in the 10-team standings.

Defending a competitive total of 192/5, CSK struck early and maintained control throughout, restricting KKR to 160/7 in 20 overs despite late resistance from Ramandeep Singh, who topscored for them with 35, and Rovman Powell, who contributed an unbeaten 31.

KKR changed their opening pair for this match, with Sunil Narine joining Finn Allen instead of skipper Rahane. While Narine showed early intent with a couple of sixes, Allen fell cheaply as Kamboj struck in the second over to provide CSK an early breakthrough.

Narine failed to build on his start and fell to pacer Khaleel Ahmed during the Power-play, leaving the three-time champions struggling at 36/2 for their lowest total after the powerplay score since 2024. Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi attempted to rebuild the innings, briefly lifting the scoring rate with a mix of boundaries and sixes.

Ramandeep Singh, with 35 runs, ended as the highest scorer, and Rovman Powell, with 31 not out, helped the team’s hopes for some time, but in the end, that was not enough.

Earlier, CSK posted a strong 192/5 after electing to bat. Sanju Samson led the charge with a fluent 48, while young Ayush Mhatre provided a blistering start with a 17-ball 38. Dewald Brevis added impetus in the middle overs with a well-compiled 41, helping CSK recover after a brief slowdown.

Despite efforts from KKR’s bowlers, particularly Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, to pull things back in the middle overs, CSK’s aggressive start ultimately proved decisive.

The win marks CSK’s second successive victory, while KKR continue to struggle for consistency in their batting and remain winless.

–IANS

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