Ajinkya Rahane handed massive penalty after 32-run defeat during CSK vs KKR clash in IPL 2026

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) continued their struggle during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with a 32-run defeat, to be at the bottom of the points table. They are yet to earn a single victory in five encounters, including a washed-out result against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at a net run rate of -1.383. 

Under Ajinkya Rahane, the three-time champions have been under incredible pressure. Most of their players have failed to impress with either bat or ball, while a few of their veterans have lost their rhythm. If they don’t get back on track soon, then it will be a very long campaign for them. 

Ajinkya Rahane handed slow-over rate penalty in IPL 2026

Rahane has become the latest captain to face BCCI’s fire as he received an INR 12 lakh fine. The penalty followed his team, which was found guilty of maintaining a slow over-rate during the CSK clash. The franchise was deemed to have violated Article 2.22 of the Code of Conduct.

As it was the first offence of the season under him, the captain was handed a monetary fine. The KKR side has become the fourth team this season to be penalised for the slow over-rates. Punjab’s Shreyas Iyer has come under this offence twice, while Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya have also been sanctioned once.

See Also: Watch: Khaleel Ahmed dismisses Sunil Narine for 24 during CSK vs KKR clash in IPL 2026

Earlier, a third offence would have banned the captain for a game in the competition, but that rule has been scrapped by the committee heading into this edition. For the slow over rate, Kolkata was allowed only to keep four fielders outside the 30-yard ring in the last over of the first innings.

KKR continues poor batting performance

One of the main issues for Kolkata behind the defeat was their poor show inside the powerplay of the CSK clash. They notched up only 36 runs for the loss of two wickets in the first six overs. That’s exactly half of what the home side got in the first innings. This led to massive pressure on their middle order to counter big overs against the CSK spinners.

Both Akeal Hossein and Noor Ahmed were clinical in picking four wickets between themselves. Kolkata’s big-budget buy, Cameron Green, was dismissed for a golden duck while Rinku Singh continued to go through a disastrous season with the bat. Even Finn Allen has stood up for his reputation.

The 2024 winners will head to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for their next fixture against the Gujarat Titans (GT).