Former champions Mumbai Indians (MI) cut a sorry figure as they suffered yet another loss in the current Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The loss was hurtful because the home side had scored a massive 243 on the board and saw Sunrisers Hyderabad breaking little sweat while chasing the target with relative ease.
Hardik Pandya’s captaincy has come under huge pressure as the hopes of making the playoffs are all but over. Former New Zealand seamer Simon Doull has urged the franchise to move on from the 32-year-old ahead of the next IPL auctions. Pandya made his return to Mumbai after spending two seasons with the Gujarat Titans (GT), where he won the title in 2022 and reached the finals in the next season.
In his chat with Cricbuzz, the former Kiwi star said, “Who will be the captain next year? If the team is going to change. If it isn’t Hardik Pandyathen the team must release him.” After rejoining the team ahead of the 2024 season,the Indian star replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain, much to the ire of many fans.
Right team on paper but not in the park?
After MI’s fifth loss of the season, the 56-year-old pointed out, “Fingers will be pointed at everyone. The team looked great on paper after the auction last year, where it felt like they had gotten it right. Failure in one season is a blip, two years turns into a concern, but if it happens for three years, then it’s time to change things around.”
The noted commentator, while speaking about Mumbai’s current skipper, said that it looked unlikely that the Baroda-based star will continue as a specialist player if he is stripped of his captaincy. “Hardik has been a great all-rounder, but the question is if he is ready to take a backseat and work hard and come back to his former self”
Forgettable season for big-name stars
Fast bowler jasprit bumrah hasn’t been at his best so far this season. The 32-year-old went wicketless yet again and was hit for 54 runs from his four overs. Suryakumar Yadav saw his season nosedive further when he managed to score just five runs against SRH at the Wankhede Stadium.
Pandya himself has been a shadow of his former self, a mere 128 runs this year with an average of 21 and a strike-rate of 152. With the ball, the veteran all-rounder has managed to grab four wickets with an economy of 12 runs per over, which has been his worst since his debut in 2015.
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