Leicestershire were docked 16 points on the eve of a new County Championship campaign for repeated offences committed by their players in matches over the past year.
Seamer Charlie Shreck was found guilty at a disciplinary hearing of "using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting and/or making an obscene gesture" in last week's pre-season fixture against Loughborough MCCU, the fifth fixed penalty breach by a Leicestershire player within a period of 12 months.
Captain Mark Cosgrove was also suspended for one match by the England and Wales Cricket Board's Cricket Discipline Commission as he was at the helm for all of the indiscretions.
The 32-year-old Australian will be available for the Division Two opener against Nottinghamshire on Friday, but he has warned Leicestershire over their indiscipline, with the club handed an identical points deduction for similar breaches in 2015.
Cosgrove told BBC Radio Leicester: "We've got to get better be be more disciplined - 16 points is a big deal to us. It's a game.
"Hopefully we can get some positive points on the board. This hurts the boys. We need to learn and get better.
"Charlie is very disappointed and very apologetic. He overstepped the mark. He knows he did the wrong thing.
"We've just got to take it and move on and get busy into the season."
Despite the hefty deduction - which amounts to one win, not including any bonus points accumulated - they will start the season above Durham.
All eyes will be on the north-east county, not in championship action this week, after they were relegated despite finishing fourth in Division One last year while they will begin this campaign on minus 48 points, part of their punishment for accepting a financial bailout from the ECB.
Division One title favourites Yorkshire, who were pipped to a third successive championship by Middlesex on the last day of the 2016 season, get under way against Hampshire at Headingley.
Long-time captain Andrew Gale has stepped into Jason Gillespie's shoes as head coach, with Gary Ballance installed as skipper following his demotion from the England set-up.
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