As IPL 2024 enters its business end with teams jostling for a spot in the playoffs, the pressure is rising and the stakes are higher. It can be judged by the time teams are taking to complete their overs. Over rate offences have become a norm like sixes in a T20 match. The Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings IPL 2024 match at the Ekana Stadium on Friday was no different. Actually, it was in a way. It was the first match of this season's IPL where both teams didn't meet the over rate requirements.

Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings were found guilty of maintaining a slow over rate and as a result, their captains - LSG's KL Rahul and CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad - were punished by the BCCI.

"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 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. 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 Lakh," BCCI said.

It is tough to gauge how much the fine would pinch KL Rahul, especially as it came hours after he took home the Player of the Match award for leading his team to a comprehensive 8-wicket win against CSK. Rahul smashed 82 off 53 balls and stitched the highest opening partnership - 134 - of this year's IPL with South Africa's Quinton de Kock (54 off 43) as LSG reached the 177-run target in 19 overs with 8 wickets in the bank.

On another day, they would have liked to finish the match a couple of overs earlier but then again, snatching a relatively easy win where the home crowd turned yellow for a legendary player - MS Dhoni - in the opposition camp is no less.

The same, however, cannot be said about CSK skipper Ruturaj. The right-hander, who has now started to bat at No.3 after an indifferent few outings at the top of the order, got the news of the ₹12 lakh fine for the slow over rate offence pretty much the same time as his counterpart Rahul did. But it is likely to have hurt him more purely because CSK came out second best and his bat was silent. Gaikwad scored 17 off 13 balls.

"Ruturaj Gaikwad, Captain, Chennai Super Kings has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match 34 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. As it was his team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Gaikwad was fined INR 12 Lakh," BCCI said.

LSG's win against CSK on Friday didn't bring about any change in the IPL 2024 points table but it was enough to ensure yet another logjam. There are four teams now - LSG, CSK, KKR and SRH - with 8 points to their names. KKR and SRH have a played match less than LSG and CSK.

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