Hardik Pandya incurred his initial over-rate penalty as the captain of Mumbai Indians after falling short of the minimum required rate during the match against Punjab Kings on Thursday.
Hardik Pandya faced a penalty for his team’s slow over-rate during Mumbai’s exciting victory against Punjab in an IPL 2024 game in Mullanpur. This was the first time he was penalized as captain. Hardik was fined ₹12 lakh for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct on over-rates. MI lagged by 2 overs but managed to fend off a threat from 25-year-old Ashutosh Sharma, ultimately defending 192 runs to secure their third win of the season.
Mumbai’s hard-fought victory came after posting a commendable total of 192-7, with Suryakumar Yadav’s outstanding fifty playing a significant role. The game began with Gerald Coetzee and Jasprit Bumrah delivering a strong start, swiftly dismissing Punjab’s top order batters and leaving them in a challenging position with only 14 runs for 4 wickets. However, Punjab’s young talents of the season, Shashank and Ashutosh, stepped up to the crease, providing a glimmer of hope amidst the looming threat of a major defeat.
MI suffered the consequences of their slow-over rate during the match. As a result, they were penalized by having only 4 fielders instead of the usual 5 in the last 2 overs. Nevertheless, Akash Madhwal remained composed in the final over, ensuring victory for MI by successfully scoring the required 13 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah, who claimed 3 wickets for 21 runs, and Gerald Coetzee, who took 3 wickets for 32 runs, emerged as the key players in MI’s victory, propelling the former champions to the 7th position in the points table among the 10 competing teams.
