Hardik Pandya, the captain of Gujarat Titans, has been found to have violated the IPL Code of Conduct by maintaining a slow over rate during his team’s match against Punjab Kings in Mohali on Thursday, in the ongoing IPL 2023 season. This marks the third consecutive occurrence of a breach of over-rate rules in this season, with RCB captain Faf du Plessis and RR captain Sanju Samson also having been fined ₹12 lakh for the same offense.
Hardik Pandya, the captain of Gujarat Titans, has been penalized for a slow over-rate by his team during their recent Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Punjab Kings, held at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on April 13th, 2023.
According to an official release by the IPL on Friday, Pandya’s team incurred their first offense of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct for minimum over-rate violations, resulting in a fine of Rs. 12 lakh for the captain.
In the thrilling match, Shubman Gill played a crucial role in securing a six-wicket victory for the defending IPL champions, Gujarat Titans, over Punjab Kings, led by former Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan. However, in the final over of the chase, England all-rounder Sam Curran dismissed Gill for 67, raising hopes for Punjab.
After being put in to bat by their opponents, Punjab Kings could only manage a total of 153-8 in their allotted overs.
Curran, who holds the distinction of being the highest-priced player in the tournament’s history with a price tag of $2.23 million, attempted to defend seven runs off the last over. However, his efforts were in vain as Rahul Tewatia struck the penultimate ball for a boundary, sealing the victory.
Earlier in the game, despite their slow and laborious starts, none of the Punjab batsmen were able to convert their innings into a substantial score, as they struggled against the disciplined bowling performance of Gujarat.
One notable highlight was the performance of Mohit Sharma, a discarded pacer from the Indian national team, who made his debut for Pandya’s team. Sharma bowled with precision, conceding only 18 runs and picking up two wickets, earning him the well-deserved title of man-of-the-match.
