IPL

“Blessed to have Bumrah in my side” : Hardik Pandya heaps praise on MI pacer after five-wicket haul against RCB Jasprit Bumrah was all over Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday, as the Indian pacer managed to deliver the best figures of IPL 2024 so far. He picked up 5 wickets in his four over spell, conceding just 21 runs. His wickets included the likes of an in-form Virat Kohli, and Faf du Plessis who looked pretty much set out in the middle. Hardik Pandya was all praise for the 30-year-old pacer after Mumbai Indians registered their second consecutive victory. MI chased down a total of 197 runs in just the 16th over, as the likes of Ishan Kumar and Suryakumar Yadav took the opposition bowling to the cleaners. Hardik Pandya stated that it was a blessing to have someone like Jasprit Bumrah in his side, given the impact he can create during different stages of the innings. “Blessed to have Bumrah in my side. He does it over and over again. Any time I ask him to bowl, he comes and does what he does. He practices a lot. Before doing anything in the game, he makes sure he practices in the nets. The amount of experience and confidence he has is tremendous,” said Hardik in his post match speech. “I’ve never seen batters hit there” : Hardik Pandya on Suryakumar Yadav Suryakumar Yadav was back among the runs, as the Indian batter scored 52 runs off just 19 deliveries. This is a positive sign for the five-time champions, who have all their batters in form now. Hardik Pandya also managed to join the party, as he scored 21 runs off just 6 deliveries, hitting three sixes. “Always good to have Surya in your team with the areas he hits. I’ve been opposition captain as well against him, it’s tough to put field for him. Some place he hits, I’ve never seen batters hit there. (I’ll do) Whatever the situation requires – last game I had to take some time, and this game’s scenario was different. I’ve always been a fan of whatever the situation demands,” said Pandya. After registering three defeats at the start of their campaign, Mumbai Indians are well back on track. They have registered two consecutive wins against Delhi and Bengaluru in the last week at the Wankhede Stadium. Mumbai will conclude their run of home fixtures on Sunday, when they welcome Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium. This fixture is the biggest rivalry in IPL cricket, given that it pits the two most successful franchises against each other. Also Read: “I don’t think they should boo Hardik Pandya,” Sourav Ganguly says it is not Hardik’s fault that he was appointed as MI skipper

“I don’t think they should boo Hardik Pandya,” Sourav Ganguly says it is not Hardik’s fault that he was appointed as MI skipper Hardik Pandya has been facing the heat from fans during the ongoing edition of the IPL. The Mumbai Indians skipper made his way back to his former franchise, after spending two seasons with Gujarat Titans. The Indian all-rounder replaced Rohit Sharma as the skipper of the franchise, which has not been well-received by the fans. To make matters worse, Mumbai Indians remain the only side in the tournament yet to register their first points on the board. They have faced three consecutive defeats now, as they face Delhi Capitals at home on Sunday. Delhi’s Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly has come out in support of the Indian all-rounder amidst the ringing boos around the stadium. He believes it is not correct for the fans to boo the MI skipper, and it was the decision of the management to appoint him as the skipper. “Fans shouldn’t boo Hardik Pandya, it’s not correct. The franchise has appointed him captain. That’s what happens in sports, whether you captain India or you captain your franchise, you are appointed as captain,” Ganguly said in the pre-match press conference. “It’s not Hardik’s fault that he has been appointed as captain” : Sourav Ganguly Sourav Ganguly also heaped praise on Rohit Sharma, and stated that the Indian skipper is a different class. He mentioned that the MI opener is a great asset to the Indian cricket team through his consistent performances over the years. However, he believes that it is not Hardik Pandya’s fault that he was appointed the skipper of the joint most successful franchise in IPL. “Rohit Sharma is a different class. His performance for this franchise, his performance for India, has been on a different level, as captain and as a player. It’s not Hardik’s fault that he has been appointed as captain,” he added. Delhi Capitals come into this encounter on the back of a heavy defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders a couple of days ago. Meanwhile, MI’s top order collapsed against Rajasthan Royals in their first home game of the season, as they registered their third consecutive defeat. Suryakumar Yadav is expected to be back in the playing eleven for Mumbai Indians, which is a massive boost for Hardik Pandya and co. Also Read: “I do not think the booing will hold out for too long,” Trent Boult backs Hardik Pandya after three consecutive defeats

“I do not think the booing will hold out for too long,” Trent Boult backs Hardik Pandya after three consecutive defeats Mumbai Indians succumbed to their third consecutive defeat in the Indian Premier League, as they remain the only franchise to register their first points on the board. The five-time champions were defeated by Rajasthan Royals, who maintained their 100% start to the season, winning their first three games. MI captain Hardik Pandya was not well received by his home fans at Wankhede, as there were several boos heard around the stadium. Rajasthan Royals pacer Trent Boult came out in support of his former MI teammate, and stated that the booing will not hold out for too long. Trent Boult came back to haunt his former franchise, dismissing the likes of Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir and Dewald Brevis all for golden ducks. The Kiwi pacer who won the player of the match award stated that Hardik Pandya is among his favorite Indian cricketers. “It is something you cannot control, as professional sportspeople it is what you are exposed to in a way. You have to block out the white noise and focus on the job, (but) it is easier said than done. There are a lot of passionate fans in this country, and speaking of Hardik specifically, he is one of my favorite Indian cricketers and I do not think the booing will hold out for too long. I am sure, he is one of those guys who can put it aside and focus on the job,” said Boult. Hardik Pandya encourages Mumbai Indians to be a lot more disciplined and couraegous Mumbai Indians were all out of sorts inside the powerplay overs, as they lost four wickets on the back of some brilliant bowling by Trent Boult and Nandre Burger. Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma somewhat steadied the ship, however, the MI skipper was dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal which shifted the momentum back in favor of Rajasthan Royals. Hardik Pandya encouraged Mumbai Indians to be a little more courageous, and disciplined. He still believes that the current set of players are pretty good enough to get the job done on a given day. Mumbai Indians will next face Delhi Capitals at home on Sunday afternoon, as they look to get off the mark. “Yes, a tough night, we didn’t start the way we wanted to start. I wanted to counter, we were in a decent position to get us around 150-160, but my wicket allowed them to get back more into the game, I needed to do a lot more. It’s okay, we didn’t expect such a surface, but you can’t always have it as a batter, it’s nice at times for the bowlers to have a say. It’s all about doing the right things, (correct) results happen at times, at some other times it doesn’t. As a group, we believe we can do a lot better, but we need to be a bit more disciplined and show a lot more courage,” said Hardik in his post-match interview. Also Read: “CSK please get MS Dhoni up the order,” Brett Lee and Shane Watson make appeal to Ruturaj Gaikwad

“Have you seen this happen in any other country,” Ravi Ashwin defends Hardik Pandya amidst growing criticism Hardik Pandya has been receiving the stick from the fans over the past couple of months. This has only worsened after the start of the 2024 IPL season, which saw him replacing Rohit Sharma as the skipper of the Mumbai Indians. The Indian all-rounder has been booed in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, and he is expected to receive a hostile welcome at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. Ravi Ashwin has come out in defense of his Indian teammate, and stated that it is the responsibility of the fans to stop booing the Mumbai Indians skipper. Ravi Ashwin stated that the likes of Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly have all played under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, who in turn has played Virat Kohli’s captaincy. Hence, he sees nothing wrong in Hardik Pandya leading a Mumbai side stacked with senior players. “I don’t understand. If you don’t like a player and boo a player, why should a team come out to issue a clarification? We act like this has not happened before. (Sourav) Ganguly played under Sachin (Tendulkar) and vice versa. These two have both played under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. These three have played under Anil Kumble and all of them have played under Dhoni. When they were under Dhoni, these players were cricket jambhavans (giants). Dhoni too played under Virat,” Ravichandran Ashwin was quoted by Sportstar. Ravi Ashwin defends Hardik Pandya amidst captaincy saga Ravi Ashwin stated that it is not the responsibility of the players or the teams to come out, and issue an statement. The Indian spinner recollected that such instances have happened in the past, and appealed to the fans to stop waging a war between two Indian star cricketers. “Have you seen this happen in any other country? Have you seen Joe Root and Zak Crawley fans fight? Or have you seen Joe Root and Jos Buttler fans fight? It’s crazy. Have you seen Steve Smith and Pat Cummins fans fight in Australia?,” he added. To further compound Hardik Pandya’s misery, Mumbai Indians have gotten off to a poor start yet again in the 17th edition of the IPL. The five-time champions have lost both their opening matches. The MI skipper had an opportunity to take his side past the finishing line in both the matches, however, he failed to do so against both Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Also Read: “Captain can’t bat with the batting strike rate of 120,” Irfan Pathan calls out Hardik Pandya for lack of intent in record chase

“Captain can’t bat with the batting strike rate of 120,” Irfan Pathan calls out Hardik Pandya for lack of intent in record chase Irfan Pathan has certainly not held back in calling out Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya. In Sunday’s loss to Gujarat Titans, the former Indian all-rounder was not very impressed by Hardik Pandya’s decision to bat so lower down in the order. In their second consecutive loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, Irfan Pathan called out the MI skipper for lacking intent in a record breaking chase. Sunrisers Hyderabad registered the highest ever total in an IPL innings, scoring 278 runs from their 20 overs. Mumbai Indians put on a valiant display, scoring 246 runs, falling short by just 31 runs. Whilst every MI batter had their strike rates over 200 or just near about, Hardik Pandya struggled to get going. The Indian all-rounder managed to score 24 runs off 20 deliveries, batting at a strike rate of just 120. After starting off with a six and a boundary, Hardik Pandya just could not find the fence. “If the whole team is playing with the strike of 200, Captain can’t bat with the batting strike rate of 120,” Irfan Pathan wrote on X. Mumbai Indians suffer second consecutive defeat Mumbai Indians have not had the best start to their IPL campaign. However, they are no strangers to a slow start, as they have almost always managed to turn around their fortunes in the second half of the tournament. Tilak Varma impressed with the bat against Hyderabad, scoring 64 runs off just 34 deliveries. Naman Dhir looked elegant out in the middle, scoring 30 off just 14 balls, hitting two maximums. The likes of Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma got off to an absolute flyer, scoring 50 runs in the first three overs. However, MI lost both their openers in consecutive overs, and it was always difficult to keep up with the required rate. In some positive news for the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians will now play four consecutive home games. This could be a great opportunity for Mumbai to register a couple of consecutive wins. On paper, they certainly look like a champion side, and a force to reckon with. Also Read: “They missed the trick upfront by not bowling Jasprit Bumrah” : Heinrich Klassen points out a strategy blunder by Hardik Pandya

“They missed the trick upfront by not bowling Jasprit Bumrah” : Heinrich Klassen points out a strategy blunder by Hardik Pandya Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians put on a spectacle for the fans at the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Over 520 runs were scored in 40 overs, with the hosts managing to register the highest ever total in an IPL innings. Sunrisers Hyderabad claimed their first win of the season, winning by 31 runs, after posting a mammoth score of 277 runs. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma started the onslaught, scoring 62 and 63 runs, respectively. As usual, Heinrich Klassen made a complete mockery of the bowling in the death overs, scoring 80 runs off just 34 balls. The South African batter pointed out to a strategy blunder by Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya. He believes that the visitors did not utilize their marquee bowler Jasprit Bumrah in the powerplay overs. The Indian pacer bowled just one over in the first six overs, as he came back into the attack only in the 13th over. “I feel they missed the trick upfront by not bowling him (Bumrah) inside the powerplay and we have got the best strikers. They didn’t use their best bowlers. It was incredible to have my best mate with me at the end of the innings who also played a fantastic knock,” Klaasen said in the mid-match presentation. Did Hardik Pandya miss a trick with Jasprit Bumrah? Hardik Pandya was hesitant to throw the ball to Jasprit Bumrah whilst Sunrisers Hyderabad were running away with the match. He brought his main bowler back into the attack in the 13th over, when much of the damage was already done. In the powerplay, Jasprit Bumrah just bowled one over which has certainly raised several questions. Hardik Pandya bowled two overs in the powerplay, with Kwena Maphaka also bowling two overs. Piyush Chawla was handed the sixth over, which was not the best decision to make at that point. Jasprit Bumrah has demonstrated has ability to pick wickets at any stage of the game. Moreover, Mumbai Indians were in desperate need to at least stop the flow of runs, with Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head going after each and every delivery. This makes us question Hardik Pandya’s decision to hold back his key bowler, when a wicket or two could have certainly helped Mumbai’s case. Also Read: “I’ve still got it I guess,” Virat Kohli promises to deliver his best amidst speculations about involvement in T20I World Cup

“Didn’t want to face Rashid Khan”: Irfan Pathan slams Hardik Pandya for ‘poor captaincy’ Mumbai Indians have only themselves to blame after they succumbed to a six-run defeat in their IPL 2024 opener against Gujarat Titans. With only 40-odd runs required off the final five overs, and with seven wickets in hand, the five-time champions were all set to leave Ahmedabad with two points. Irfan Pathan has hit out at Hardik Pandya after demoting himself down the order. The former Indian all-rounder believes that the Mumbai Indians skipper should have stepped up, and come out instead of Tim David when the fourth wicket fell. He further added that Hardik Pandya wanted to avoid facing Rashid Khan, who had one more over up his sleeve. “Hardik Pandya didn’t want to face Rashid Khan and he sent Tim David, that’s where Mumbai Indians lost the match. Poor captaincy,” said Irfan Pathan. Mumbai Indians continue tradition of losing their IPL opener Mumbai Indians have continued their tradition of losing their IPL opening matches. Since 2012, the five-time champions have failed to win their first match of the tournament, and have earned themselves the reputation of being the slow-starters. However, there are a couple of positives for Mumbai Indians in their six-run defeat to Gujarat. MI’s new signing Gerald Coetzee did a fine job, as he picked up two wickets in his four over spell, conceding just 27 runs. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah who missed the previous season die to injury, picked up 3 wickets on his return, conceding just 14 runs in his 4 overs. Mumbai Indians will look to get back to winning ways, as they face Sunrisers Hyderabad in their second match on Wednesday. This will be Mumbai’s second consecutive away match, before they shift base back home for a couple of matches in April. Also Read: “I completely back him, not an issue,” Hardik Pandya defends Tilak Varma for debatable single call