Mumbai Indians (MI) captain and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was fined INR 12 lakh for a breach of the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s 36-run loss to Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday, March 29. The penalty was imposed after MI failed to maintain the required over-rate during Match No. 9 of IPL 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) released an official statement confirming the fine, stating, “Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match No. 9 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.”
The statement further added, “As this was his team’s first offence of the season under Article 2.2 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences, Pandya was fined INR 12 lakhs.”
Interestingly, Hardik returned to the lineup against GT after serving a one-game ban for a slow over-rate last season. However, ahead of IPL 2025, the league scrapped the provision that allowed captains to be banned for repeated over-rate offences.
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The match against GT proved eventful for Hardik, who was returning to his former home ground in Ahmedabad. During the second innings, the MI skipper was involved in a heated exchange with GT’s Sai Kishore. Both players had an intense staredown, prompting the on-field umpires to intervene and de-escalate the situation.
However, the tension didn’t last long as the two players were later seen sharing a laugh after the match. Sai Kishore clarified that the altercation was in good spirits, saying:
“He’s a good friend of mine, inside the field it should be like that, but we don’t take things personally,” Sai Kishore told the broadcaster.
MI’s struggle continued as they endured their second consecutive defeat in IPL 2025. GT posted 196 runs on a black soil pitch at Ahmedabad, and despite the presence of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya, MI fell short by 36 runs, allowing GT to register their first win of the ongoing season.
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