In a disappointing turn of events for the Mumbai Indians, the team has been fined for the second time in the ongoing IPL 2024 T20 cricket series. The latest penalty came after their match against Lucknow on April 30, where Mumbai failed to complete their 20 overs within the stipulated time.
Lucknow defeated Mumbai by 6 wickets in the 48th league match of the IPL 2024 T20 cricket series. Batting first in that match in Lucknow, Mumbai set a target of just 145 runs. Despite Hardik Pandya taking the maximum 2 wickets for Mumbai, the team couldn’t avoid defeat. For Lucknow, Marcus Stoinis was the top performer, scoring 62 runs, leading his team to an easy win in 19.2 overs.
The IPL management announced that Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya has been fined Rs 24 lakh from his salary for violating the rule of not completing the overs within the stipulated time. Additionally, the remaining 11 Mumbai players, including the Impact player, will be fined Rs 6 lakh each for committing the same mistake for the second time.
This isn’t the first time Mumbai has faced such penalties. Earlier in the season, during their match against the Punjab team, Mumbai failed to finish their overs within the stipulated time, resulting in Pandya being fined 12 lakhs.
Mumbai, which is currently languishing at the 9th position in the points table, has a higher chance of not qualifying for the playoff round. With only 3 wins and 7 losses in 10 matches, even if the team wins the next 4 matches, there’s only a 50% chance of making it to the playoffs.
Mumbai next challenge will be against Kolkata on May 3rd. The team will have to put the recent setbacks behind them and focus on putting up a better performance on the field to revive their chances in the tournament.