Watch: Hardik Pandya Caught Red-Handed In Cheating During DC vs MI Clash

A rare incident occurred during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 fixture between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC).

The on-field umpire, Chris Gaffaney, checked the size of Hardik Pandya’s bat after he arrived at number five for the five-time champions in the first inning.

As Pandya was walking past the umpire, the latter took a square-shaped device out of his pocket and put the bat through it to check if the length of the willow was more than the IPL council had granted for the edition.

Watch: Umpires catch Hardik Pandya cheating with the bat’s size

The action took place after the first ball of the 14th over when Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav on 40 runs in 28 balls.

As Hardik Pandya walked into the middle, Gaffney, the umpire, checked the length of the bat. They wanted to ensure that the bat remained the same size within the permissible limits.

Also Read: Abhishek Sharma’s Knock Wasn’t All-Time Best: Wasim Jaffer

The law 5.7 of the IPL’s playing conditions mention that the overall length of the blade, when the lower portion of the handle would be inserted, should not be more than 96.52 cm or 38 inch.

It also can’t cross the 10.8 cm dimension in the width and 6.7 cm size in depth. In case of the handle, it should not go beyond 52% of the overall length of the bat.

Fortunately, Hardik Pandya’s bat passed the test, and the officials allowed him to use the willow for the rest of the game.

Even during the afternoon clash, the same incident happened, as the umpires checked Shimron Hetmyer’s bat when Rajasthan Royals faced the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Umpire checked Hardik Pandya bat before he came to bat today😭😭
Unreal Aura🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/tV1Pm0yNGm

— ` (@Sneha4kohli) April 13, 2025

Hardik Pandya fails to contribute with both bat and ball

There was so much expectation from Hardik Pandya to provide a solid finish in the innings after Mumbai was 135/2 in 13 overs.

The all-rounder opened his account on the second delivery. He sliced Kuldeep’s short ball into the off-side for a single before rocking back and punching it through the off-side for the same result.

But on the very first ball of the next over against Viraj Nigam, the Baroda all-rounder took the aerial route against the tossed-up delivery.

He miscued it towards the long-off region, losing the bat’s shape. Hardik was so disappointed after the shot as he made his way to the dressing room for two runs in four balls.

It wasn’t a great evening either from the all-rounder. Hardik Pandya leaked 21 runs in two overs without any wickets to his name.

Delhi went off to a flyer in the 206-run chase. But the veteran’s captaincy was incredible in the game as he made the right bowling changes and was crystal clear with his field positions.

Mumbai Indians mark sensational comeback for 12-run victory

The Mumbai Indians posted 205/5 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to Tilak Verma’s 59-run knock in 33 balls at a strike rate of nearly 180, shouldering on six boundaries and three sixes.

Naman Dhir remained unbeaten on 38 runs in 17 deliveries, thanks to three fours and two sixes.

Also Read: Virender Sehwag Picks Virat Kohli To Chase 15 Runs In Super Over; Jasprit Bumrah To Defend 30 Runs

Delhi was well into the chase till the 12th over. But Hardik Pandya-led MI showed some fabulous fielding to put pressure on the home side. They lost their last eight wickets for 58 runs in nearly eight overs.

The suicidal run-outs helped Mumbai to earn their second victory of the season and climb to the seventh position in the points table.