Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya is poised to be the final skipper in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to face disciplinary action from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the form of a ban, as the board has updated the playing regulations for the upcoming 2025 IPL season. During a meeting at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, attended by all IPL captains and team managers, the board resolved to eliminate the practice of penalizing captains for over-rate infractions.

As reported by Cricbuzz, the BCCI's meeting on Thursday concluded that captains will no longer receive match bans. Instead, the board has adopted the ICC's policy of assigning demerit points to skippers based on the seriousness of the violation. These points will remain valid for a period of three years, with bans being reserved for only the most severe cases.

In the previous IPL season, both Hardik and Rishabh Pant, who captained the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals respectively, received a one-match suspension due to their teams' third over-rate violation. Consequently, Hardik will be unavailable for Mumbai's season opener in 2025 against the Chennai Super Kings as he serves this suspension.

How will demerit points be decided?

A Level 1 offence will result in a deduction of match fees ranging from 25 to 75 per cent, along with the assignment of demerit points that will be tracked for the subsequent three years. A serious Level 2 offence will incur four demerit points.

For every four demerit points that are accumulated, the match referee has the authority to impose a penalty, which may take the form of a 100 percent fine or the addition of further demerit points. These demerit points could potentially lead to a match suspension in the future; however, a slow overrate will not result in a match ban, as stated by a BCCI source to PTI.

Furthermore, a report from Cricbuzz indicated that the much-discussed Impact Player rule will undergo a review by the governing council in 2027. "The IPL will maintain the implementation of the Impact Player rule, which permits teams to substitute one player during a match, at least until 2027," a source informed the website.

Read Also: Jasprit Bumrah Back at NCA: Seeking Fitness Clearance Ahead of IPL 2025

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