The disappointment of IPL season 2024 for the Mumbai Indians just got deeper for their captain, Hardik Pandya. In a late-night announcement on Friday, the BCCI added another layer of punishment to a forgettable season for the all-rounder. Pandya was suspended for the first match of the next IPL season and also got a fine of Rs 30 lakh for maintaining a slow over rate in the final match of the Mumbai Indians against the Lucknow Supergiants.
This penalty effectively means the Mumbai Indians will have to start their next-season campaign without their chosen leader, regardless of whether they retain him as captain or not. This adds another complication to a franchise already suffering from a disaster season.
The suspension comes from the IPL code of conduct regarding minimum over-rate offenses. As this was the third such instance of Mumbai Indians this year, the BCCI took strict action. It is to be noted that the captain of the Delhi Capitals, Rishabh Pant, faced a similar one-match suspension earlier in the season for the same reason.
Pandya was not the only one facing financial repercussions. The rest of the Mumbai Indians, including the impact player of the team, also got fine. Each player will receive a penalty of Rs 12 lakh or 50% of their match fees, whichever is lower.
The leadership and individual performance of Hardik Pandya left a lot to be desired this season. As a batsman, he was only able to score 218 runs in 14 matches at an average of only 18. Even his bowling was not up to par, with 11 wickets taken at an economy rate of 10.75.
His captaincy stint also proved unsuccessful. Mumbai Indians are five-time IPL Champions and finished last in the standings with just four victories and 14 matches. This poor performance was a stark contrast to the high expectations surrounding the return of Pandiya to the Mumbai Indians leadership role.
