IPL 2025: Hardik Pandya In Trouble, Mumbai Indians Skipper Becomes Casualty Of Slow Over Rate Against Gujarat Titans

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has been fined ₹12 lakh for his team's slow over-rate during their IPL 2025 match against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This fine comes as a result of Mumbai's failure to maintain the required over-rate, which they lost by 36 runs while chasing a target of 197. According to the IPL's Code of Conduct, this was Mumbai's first offence under Article 2.2, which deals with minimum over-rate violations.

The fine imposed on Pandya for the slow over-rate violation marks the first such instance in IPL 2025. The IPL governing council had introduced a new rule this season, implementing a demerit points system and suspension points for slow over-rate offences, valid for 36 months.

This penalty is not the first disciplinary issue Pandya has faced in IPL 2025. He had previously missed Mumbai’s season opener against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after being banned for a slow over-rate offence in their last IPL 2024 match against Lucknow Super Giants. Mumbai lost that contest by four wickets.

Prior to the season, Hardik had expressed his views on whether slow over-rate penalties should carry over into the next season. At a press conference, he mentioned, "That is out of my control. What happened last year is part of the sport. We were late in bowling the last over by 2-2.5 minutes. I wasn't aware of the consequences at that time, but the rules are clear, so I have to follow them."

Whats next for Mumbai Indians?

Currently, Mumbai Indians are in ninth place on the points table with zero points. They will next face defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium on March 31.