Will Hardik Pandya Be Banned Again After Being Fined For Slow Over-Rate Against GT?

In his first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya has been fined INR 12 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on March 29 (Saturday).

Ironically, Pandya had missed the first game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) due to a one-match ban he picked up in the IPL 2024. The all-rounder becomes the first captain to be fined for a slow over-rate offence in the IPL 2025.

“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,” stated the official release. 

Before the start of this season, the IPL's governing council made some changes to the playing conditions, with captains no longer facing match bans for slow over-rate offences. 

Captains will now be handed demerit points, which will carry over for a period of three years. The ban will only happen in extreme cases.

“Effective this season, a new Code of Conduct will be implemented from the TATA IPL 2025 season, introducing a demerit points system and suspension points which will remain valid for 36 months,” stated the BCCI in an official release.

MI have lost both their fixtures so far in the IPL 2025 and will next take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 31 (Monday).