Ruturaj Gaikwad penalised heavily for Code of Conduct breach against Delhi Capitals

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has been slapped with a hefty fine of INR 12 lakhs for maintaining a slow over-rate in match No. 18 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) against Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk on April 11. Notably, this is CSK's first offence of the season.

Meanwhile, CSK managed to snap the winless rut on Saturday as they beat Delhi Capitals by 23 runs. After being sent into bat, CSK made the most out of the batting conditions in Chepauk and piled on 212 for the loss of just two wickets, with wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson scoring a marvellous hundred.

Gaikwad couldn't get going and got out after scoring an 18-ball 15 at a strike rate of 83.33. He tried to pull a back-of-length ball from his counterpart Axar Patel but ended up putting more elevation than distance on the ball and was caught at deep midwicket. So far, he has had scores of 6, 28, 7 and 15 in the four games this season.

The CSK vs DC game also saw Nitish Rana get fined 25% of his match fee, and a demerit point was also added to his disciplinary record. He admitted to the offence.

Ruturaj Gaikwad on CSK's first win of IPL 2026

Gaikwad felt that CSK batted really well to post over 200 on a wicket that was what he called "on slower side". He lauded Ayush Mhatre and Sanju Samson for their vital contributions that allowed the hosts to put an imposing total on the board.

"Feels good to finally get the win. Great performance. Always felt that coming here, we had been batting well. To post 200-210, when wicket is on slower side, we were showing good signs. One of those knocks where Sanju took to the opposition, played a magnificent knock. Ayush also," said Gaikwad during the post-match presentation.

He also praised the team's bowling unit for launching a solid defence of their total, especially after a string of games where it failed to stifle the opponent batters.

"Taking wickets, bowling aggressive lengths. We do not have that X-Factor in the bowling, but we have been discussing on how to be more effective and more proactive. In the last few games, we were almost there. Some big overs cost us. Bowling-wise, we were on the mark (tonight)," he added.