Hardik Pandya career took a sharp downturn in IPL 2024. The culmination of the tournament for the Mumbai Indians skipper was profoundly disappointing characterized by his lackluster performance of scoring just 16 runs off 13 balls against the Lucknow Super Giants at the renowned Wankhede Stadium on May 17.
During the last league match of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 Hardik Pandya had the chance to finish his season on a high with a matchwinning knock. In a chase of 215 against Lucknow Super Giants Pandya came out to bat at No. 5 after Rohit Sharmas exit in the 11th over.
When Hardik Pandya came out in the middle, the Mumbai Indians needed 118 runs from 55 deliveries. Fans at the Wankhede Stadium would have expected an explosive performance from their captain. Despite hitting a four and a six, the great all-rounder was dismissed after 16 runs.
On his thirteenth ball at the crease Hardik Pandya attempted to leverage Mohsin Khans delivery pace to drive a shortoflength ball towards the thirdman boundary. Regrettably he mistimed his shot gifting a simple catch to Naveen-ul-Haq without requiring the fielder to budge an inch. Feel free to witness Hardiks dismissal by watching the video linked here:
As Hardik smashed a four and a six off Ravi Bishnois bowling in the 13th over it seemed like a truly special innings awaited the MI skipper. Regrettably it didnt materialize as anticipated.
Hardik Pandya’s IPL 2024 Season Ends Without a Single Half-Century
Before his encounter with the Lucknow Super Giants Hardik engaged in 12 innings within the tournament. He successfully accumulated a total of 200 runs across these innings showcasing an average of 18.18 and a striking rate spanning around 140.
Hardiks standout performance in the tournament peaked at 46 runs. After his abrupt departure against LSG with just 16 runs this IPL season marked a rare occurrence for Hardik without hitting a halfcentury since 2021. Impressively between the years 2022 and 2023 Hardik smashed six fifties representing Gujarat Titans.