Hardik Pandya, the newly chosen captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI), has had a difficult start to his tenure, with the team losing both of their IPL 2024 games so far.
MI threw away a fantastic foundation and choked in the last few overs of the chase, losing to Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) then upset them in a high-scoring match on Wednesday (March 27), handing the five-time champions their second setback.
Hardik Pandya won the toss against SRH and chose to bowl first on a pitch that was ideal for batting. Sunrisers batsmen took advantage of the good conditions and created history by scoring 277/3, the highest-ever IPL total.
Hardik was chastised by fans and commentators for his dubious resource allocation amidst the SRH batters’ destruction. His decision to give Jasprit Bumrah only one over in the first 10 overs as SRH scored 148 runs drew much criticism.
In the chase, Hardik came out to bat in the 11th over, with his side needing 128 runs in 9.2 overs. He only managed 24 (20) before dying at the conclusion of the 18th over. MI went on to score 246/5 in 20 overs and lost by 31 runs.
Fans shared images on social media mocking Hardik Pandya for his weak captaincy and hesitant batting style in a difficult chase against SRH. Below are some of the finest memes:
Hardik Pandya Optimistic About MI’s Young Bowling Attack Despite Loss to SRH in IPL 2024
After the match, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya remarked on the defeat, saying:
“Wicket was good but 277, no matter how bad or good you bowl… when the opposition has scored that many, it means they have batted well. It was tough out there. Almost close to 500 runs were scored, that means the wicket was helping the batters. We could have done a few things here or there. We have a young bowling attack, not much experience but I liked what I saw tonight.”
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya added:
“When the ball goes into the crowd this much, it is definitely difficult to finish the overs on time. But all in all, everyone has to bowl in the same time so it is okay. (On the batting) Everyone, Tilak, Ro, Ishan, Tim, looked good. It is just a matter of time. If we can do a few things right, it will be alright. He (Maphaka) has a good heart. He backed his skill-set. He showed he had the skill-set and he just needs a bit of game-time.”
Hardik Pandya
