Mumbai Indians (MI) concluded their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season with an 18-run defeat against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Wankhede Stadium on Friday. This loss capped off a challenging season for the Hardik Pandya-led MI, who finished at the bottom of the IPL 2024 table.
Pandya, who has been a cornerstone for MI, had a difficult season. With the bat, he managed only 216 runs across 14 matches, averaging 18 and striking at 143.04, with a top score of 46. On the bowling front, he claimed 11 wickets but at a costly economy rate of 10.75 runs per over.
Hardik Pandya penalized for slow over-rate
Adding to the woes, Pandya has been handed a ban for the next match. This penalty arises from maintaining a slow over-rate during the clash against LSG. The captain has been fined INR 30 lakhs, while his teammates have been fined INR 12 lakhs or 50 percent of their match fees, whichever is lesser.
“Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over rate during their IPL 2024 match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on May 17. As it was his team’s third offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, Pandya was fined Rs 30 lakh and banned from playing the team’s next match,” a media release stated.
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Impact on IPL 2025
Since MI’s campaign in IPL 2024 is concluded, the ban will carry over to the next season. Irrespective of which team Pandya represents in IPL 2025, he will be unavailable for the opening match due to this sanction.
This development marks a significant setback for Pandya and the Mumbai, who will aim for a stronger comeback next season without their captain in the first game. The team and fans will be hoping for better discipline and performance to avoid such penalties in the future.
