Explained: Will Hardik Pandya be banned again for slow-over rate offence?

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya found himself in yet another trouble after his team’s slow-over rate offence against the Gujarat Titans franchise at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, March 29.

However, the big question is - Will Hardik Pandya be banned again for a match for this repeated offence? The answer is No. Notably, before the start of the IPL 2025 season, the BCCI revised the laws, stating that while the captain will not receive a match ban, they will continue to receive demerit points and match fines.

“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,” a statement from the IPL read.

It’s important to note that Suryakumar Yadav led the Mumbai Indians franchise in the team’s season opener against Chennai Super Kings in Hardik Pandya’s absence. They suffered a four-wicket loss in that encounter.

After the Mumbai Indians exited with a wooden spoon in the IPL 2024 season, Hardik Pandya was banned for the slow-over rate offence against the Lucknow Super Giants, which was the last game of the group stage.

It’s worth noting that it was Hardik Pandya’s third offense in that season with a slow-over rate, resulting in his ban from one match. As that season had already concluded for MI, he got banned for the first match of the IPL 2025 season.

Playing his first game of the IPL 2025 season at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Hardik Pandya couldn’t propel his team to victory as the Mumbai Indians suffered a 36-run defeat to the Gujarat Titans to bag two consecutive losses in the season.

After winning the toss and putting GT to bat first, the Titans went on to post 196/8 in 20 overs, thanks to Sai Sudharsan's 63 off 41, Jos Buttler's 39 and Shubman Gill's 38. In response, MI could score 160/6, losing the game by 36 runs.

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