Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya landed in trouble after his side’s defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026, with the all-rounder being fined for breaching the IPL’s Code of Conduct during the match at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
Hardik was penalised after an on-field incident during Mumbai Indians’ unsuccessful chase against KKR, where frustration appeared to get the better of him in the middle overs.
Hardik Pandya fined after KKR vs MI clash
The IPL confirmed in an official statement that the Mumbai Indians skipper was fined 10 per cent of his match fee and also received one Demerit Point for a Level 1 offence under the IPL Code of Conduct.
According to the statement, Hardik breached Article 2.2 of the code, which deals with misuse or abuse of cricket equipment, clothing or ground fittings during a match.
“Hardik Pandya was found to have breached Article 2.2 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to ‘abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings’ during a match,” the IPL said in a statement.
What exactly did Hardik Pandya do?
The incident took place during the 10th over of Kolkata Knight Riders’ run chase.
As Hardik was walking back to his run-up before delivering the fourth ball of the over, he forcefully hit the bails off the stumps in frustration.
The Mumbai Indians captain later accepted the offence and agreed to the punishment handed down by match referee Rajiv Seth.
“Hardik Pandya admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by Match Referee – Rajiv Seth,” the statement added.
Another disappointing night for Mumbai Indians
The defeat against KKR added to Mumbai Indians’ difficult IPL 2026 season, with the five-time champions already out of the playoff race.
Mumbai struggled badly with the bat on a challenging Eden Gardens surface and could only manage 147/8 in their 20 overs.
KKR bowlers made full use of the conditions, with Cameron Green and Saurabh Dubey removing key batters during the Powerplay before the spinners tightened control in the middle overs.
KKR chase comfortably to stay alive
Despite the tricky pitch offering help to both pacers and spinners, Kolkata Knight Riders completed the chase with seven balls remaining.
Manish Pandey and Rovman Powell played important knocks under pressure and guided KKR home in a tense chase.
The victory kept Kolkata mathematically alive in the IPL 2026 playoff race and lifted them to sixth position on the points table.
Hardik Pandya reflects on MI batting collapse
After the match, Hardik admitted Mumbai Indians fell short with the bat and said losing early wickets proved costly once again.
“I think we lost a lot of wickets in powerplay, but if Tilak and would have stayed longer, and we had stitched a couple of more partnerships and got those 15-20 runs, I think we would have had a decent chance.”
The MI captain also said he enjoyed playing on a pitch that offered assistance to bowlers in a tournament often dominated by batters.
“To be very honest, I don’t mind playing on this sort of wickets where bowlers have something to do.
“IPL is becoming quite batting-dominated. Bowlers are feeling helpless. I think this game kind of gave bowlers something as well from the wicket, which kind of makes them come and bowl some good balls, make batsmen play some good cricket and score runs. So, I kind of enjoyed it,” said Hardik after the match.
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