Mumbai Indians' skipper, Hardik Pandya, has faced a one-match ban due to his team's slow over-rate during their clash against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium.
Since Mumbai Indians have already concluded their IPL 2024 campaign, Hardik will sit out the team's opening fixture next season. If he transitions to another franchise for the upcoming season, he will similarly miss their inaugural match.
This marks the third instance this IPL season where Mumbai Indians failed to adhere to the minimum over rate, resulting in repercussions for Hardik. Alongside the ban, he has been fined INR 30 lakhs, with the remaining playing XII members also facing individual fines of either INR 12 lakhs or 50% of their respective match fees, whichever is lower.
The season proved to be disappointing for both Mumbai Indians and Hardik. Their 18-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants capped off a challenging campaign, with Mumbai Indians securing only four wins out of 14 matches, landing them at the bottom of the points table.
Hardik, who assumed the captaincy from Rohit Sharma at the start of the season, faced constant jeers from the Wankhede crowd. On the performance front, he managed 216 runs at an average of 18.00 and a strike rate of 143.04, while also picking up 11 wickets with an economy of 10.75.
MI's head coach, Mark Boucher, acknowledged that off-field distractions might have affected Hardik's focus, contributing to the team's lackluster performance.
