India, May 21 -- Hardik Pandya's return to the field turned into a rough outing for the Mumbai Indians skipper, both as captain and player. Back in action for the first time since May 2, Pandya watched MI crash to their ninth defeat of the IPL 2026 season against Kolkata Knight Riders, before landing in trouble himself over an on-field incident. The all-rounder was fined 10 per cent of his match fee and also received one demerit point for breaching the league's Code of Conduct.

"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 incident occurred on the 4th ball of the 10th over of the ...