Mumbai Indians will face Lucknow Super Giants tonight, 16th May. A victory in Lucknow nearly guarantees them a place in the playoffs, but the conditions may put them to the test. Mumbai Indians will be challenged on possibly the roughest surface in the IPL. MI has been chasing down 200 totals for fun.
Lucknow Super Giants led by former MI star Krunal Pandya, are also fighting for a playoff position. Krunal knows a few things about the franchise that gave him his start, and he will be eager to lead the charge as one of Lucknow’s important spinners.
Here are three Mumbai Indians players who went on to captain against them in the IPL:
3) Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik was a part of Mumbai Indians in 2012 and 2013. He was a consistent finisher for the team. His form was so good that he was named a regular batter in India’s side for the 2013 Champions Trophy. Karthik scored 748 runs in 33 innings with the Mumbai Indians, with an average of 24.13 and a strike rate of over 120.
He went on to captain the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2018 season. Karthik led KKR for two IPL seasons, captaining the team to the playoffs in 2018 and a fifth-place finish in 2019. Later he handed over the leadership to Eoin Morgan in the middle of the 2020 season.
2) Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan former an amazing opening duo with Sachin Tendulkar for MI in 2010. The left-hander scored 231 runs in 14 innings for Mumbai, with an average of 28.58 and a strike rate of 107. In 2014, he moved to SunRisers Hyderabad where he led the team. However, it was not very fruitful.
Dhawan is the captain of the Punjab Kings this season. Despite having one of the best squads in the IPL, Punjab has unable to get any momentum, finishing with 12 points from 12 games.
1) Hardik Pandya
The Mumbai Indians signed Hardik Pandya as a young prodigy and showered him with support. With Mumbai, the all-rounder discovered his range and realised his full potential. He evolved to become one of India’s top all-rounders in all three forms.
Pandya had to be freed before of the mega-auctions two years ago. The Gujarat Titans signed him and appointed him captain. Hardik received a lot of praise as he guided Gujarat to their first championship in IPL 2022.
He has now gone on to lead India in T20I and is widely seen as a long-term alternative for Rohit Sharma as India’s captain in the shortest format.
