Cricket

“The worst kind of bowling that I’ve seen for a long time” : Sunil Gavaskar slams Hardik Pandya for ordinary death over bowling Sunil Gavaskar has slammed Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya for his ordinary death over bowling, which potentially costed the match to his side. The all-rounder conceded 26 runs in the final over, which helped Chennai Super Kings cross the 200-run mark. MS Dhoni smashed three consecutive sixes, scoring 20 runs off just 4 deliveries, which proved to be the difference maker in the end. Sunil Gavaskar stated that the MI skipper made things easier for MS Dhoni by bowling right in the slot. Hardik Pandya bowled a tidy 16th over, where he got the crucial wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad, conceding just 2 runs. He returned with the ball in the final over, where he was taken to the cleaners by MS Dhoni. “Probably the worst kind of bowling that I’ve seen for a long, long time. It almost looks like I’ve had this embrace with my hero. I’ve got a bowling kind of deliveries that he’s gonna hit for sixes. One 6 is fine. The next one again a length ball when you know that this batter is looking for a length ball to hit. The third ball again, a full toss on the leg side and he’s looking for it and hits it for a 6. Absolutely ordinary bowling, ordinary captaincy,” Gavaskar said. Mumbai Indians face their fourth defeat of the season Mumbai Indians faced their fourth defeat of the season, as they fell short of 20 runs while chasing a target of 207 runs. The likes of Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma got off to a flying start, scoring 70 runs in just 7 overs. However, Matheesha Pathirana struck twice in his first over, dismissing Suryakumar Yadav for a duck. Rohit Sharma ended his innings with an unbeaten knock of 105 runs off just 63 deliveries. The Indian batter smashed 11 boundaries, and five maximums during his stay on the crease. However, he did not receive much support from his partners on the other end, which meant the Mumbai faced their fourth defeat of the season. As for Mumbai Indians, they will now face Punjab Kings on Thursday, as they are slated to play four consecutive away games. The five-time champions gathered a bit of momentum last week, winning against the Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, their winning streak was halted by Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, who have now beaten their arch rivals in five of their last six meetings. Also Read: “I think he Rohit will replace MS Dhoni at Chennai” : Michael Vaughan makes bold IPL prediction

“I think he Rohit will replace MS Dhoni at Chennai” : Michael Vaughan makes bold IPL prediction Former England captain Michael Vaughan has made a bold prediction on the Indian Premier League next season. He believes that Rohit Sharma will replace MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings in 2025, and take over the captaincy from Ruturaj Gaikwad. MS Dhoni is almost certain to announce his retirement at the end of the current IPL season, given that he passed the baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad even before the season began. There have been several rumors of Rohit Sharma being unhappy at Mumbai Indians after Hardik Pandya replaced him as the skipper. Hardik Pandya has been facing the heat from fans across India due to his new role as the skipper of Mumbai Indians, which comes at the expense of Rohit Sharma. Michael Vaughan also stated that it would be interesting to see if Rohit Sharma would be booed in a similar fashion if he makes his switch to Chennai Super Kings. “I think he (Rohit) will go to Chennai, replace MS Dhoni. Gaikwad is doing it this year. Do you think it’s just a holding job? May be Rohit next year?,” Vaughan was quoted saying to YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia in a podcast show. “I see him in Chennai. I see him there. If he were to captain Chennai and came to Mumbai, will he get booed?” he asked. “It’s not his fault” : Michael Vaughan on Hardik Pandya taking over the captaincy Michael Vaughan believes that Hardik Pandya should not be blamed for hurting the sentiments of fans across India. He believes that any player in the all-rounder’s shoes would be tempted to captain Mumbai Indians if given an opportunity. “Hardik is going through a difficult time and it’s not his fault. He has been asked to come back to the Mumbai Indians. He has been asked to be the captain. Who is going to say no that? He has just been given a job that pretty much every single cricketer in India would like to do, captain the MI,” Vaughan added. However, Michael Vaughan stated that it would have been prudent for Mumbai Indians to stick with Rohit Sharma as the skipper for at least this season. The Indian batter is all set to lead Team India in the upcoming T20I World Cup in West Indies and USA. And as such, it makes no sense for the MI management to name Hardik Pandya as the captain ahead of him. “I personally would have kept Rohit. Hardik coming back to Mumbai is big enough pressure in itself. Rohit, once he had a good World Cup, he is obviously going to captain India in the T20 World Cup. The sensible move would have been Rohit captaining MI and Hardik, in mind, for the next year or year after,” he added.

“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