Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians have endured a horrendous season in the cash-rich league this year, winning just three of their 11 matches so far and looking unlikely to make the playoffs. In their most recent outing on Friday, MI were thrashed by 24 runs after being bowled out for 145.
Following the loss to KKR, MI captain Hardik Pandya was once again in the firing line, with former India pacer Irfan Pathan stating that the questions about Pandya’s captaincy were justified. Notably, before his stint with MI, Pandya was the first ever skipper of Gujarat Titans, leading the team to an IPL trophy in their inaugural season and a runners-up finish the very next season.
Irfan Pathan criticised the Mumbai Indians skipper for letting KKR back into the game after they had taken five wickets for 57 runs in just the 7th over of the match. Pathan said that Pandya’s decision to bring Naman Dhir into the attack and bowl him for three consecutive overs helped Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey to settle down at the crease and put on a total of 169 that eventually proved too much for MI to chase down.
Irfan Pathan’s scathing attack on Hardik Pandya:
In a video shared on X, Pathan can be heard saying, “Mumbai Indians’ story ends here. This team was so good on paper, but it wasn’t managed. The questions that were raised on Hardik Pandya’s captaincy were absolutely right. When you’ve restricted KKR to 57/5, you didn’t have to give Naman Dhir three successive overs. You had to bring your main bowlers, and you gave your sixth bowler three overs. Manish Pandey and Venkatesh Iyer posted a strong partnership. You could’ve bowled them out on 150 instead you let them score 170,”
“Captaincy has a big impact in the game. Mumbai Indians don’t look like a united team, and management needs to consider this. Players need to respect and accept the captain, and we didn’t see that on-field. They have to improve in that aspect.” the former all-rounder stated.
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Published: 04 May 2024, 09:10 AM IST