Hardik Pandya fined for Code of Conduct breach; blames poor fielding for loss to KKR

MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has been fined 10% of his match fee and handed one demerit point for a Level 1 breach of the IPL Code of Conduct during his side's clash against Kolkata Knight Riders.

The incident took place in the 10th over of the KKR innings when an agitated Pandya dislodged the bails while returning to his bowling mark. The all-rounder was subsequently found guilty of violating Article 2.2 of the IPL Code of Conduct, which penalises the abuse of cricket equipment, clothing, ground apparatus, or fixtures during a match. Pandya accepted the sanction, bypassing the need for a formal hearing.

On the field, Kolkata Knight Riders kept their playoff aspirations alive with a clinical four-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians. Sent in to bat first, Mumbai's lineup faltered early, failing to post a competitive total. Reflecting on the defeat, Pandya pointed to top-order failures and sloppy fielding as the primary reasons for the setback. "We were easily 20 runs short with the bat," Pandya said in the post-match presentation. "Losing early wickets in the Powerplay pegged us back. If Tilak [Varma] and I could have built a deeper partnership, the outcome might have been different." The skipper did not hold back on his team’s lacklustre display in the field, calling it a recurring theme of their campaign. "Our fielding has been subpar throughout the season. While nobody drops catches intentionally, there is no hiding from it at this level. To win matches, you have to cling on to half-chances. If you put down regulation catches that alter the momentum of the game, you will always find yourself on the losing side," Pandya concluded.