"It was about surviving, maybe not winning " - Hardik Pandya's stunning admission on tough 2024 season ahead of IPL 2025
Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya accepted being focused on mere survival instead of winning during his forgettable 2024 IPL season. Hardik returned to MI ahead of the 2024 season in a trade after a two-year stint with the Gujarat Titans (GT).
He was also made the MI captain, replacing long-time skipper Rohit Sharma, and things have been topsy-turvy since. Hardik was booed by his home fans at the Wankhede Stadium and even in MI's away games across the country.
The 31-year-old endured a tumultuous campaign, averaging a mere 18 with the bat and conceding runs at an economy of almost 11 with the ball. As a result, MI finished at the bottom of the table with only four wins in 14 outings despite boasting a star-studded lineup.
Reflecting on the 2024 season in the build-up to IPL 2025, Hardik told JioStar (Via Hindustan Times):
"It's always about when you don't leave the battlefield. For me, it was about surviving, maybe not winning. That year was a year where, for the longest time, I had to hold my ground, not leave the battlefield which was the ground. I realised how everything was panning out, that cricket will be my best friend, and he will get me out of it."
He added:
"Yeah, it kept, I kept pushing, kept pushing. And I think when all the hard work and everything came, I don't think I wouldn't be able to write a script, which it turned out to be in my life. That six months of my phase where winning the World Cup and coming back and getting the kind of love we got. I think it was a complete 360 turnaround for me.
"And I think cricket was something which I knew that if I be persistent, if I be honest with my work, if I be really hardworking, I think I'll be able to come out of this. But when I didn't know, as exactly said, it was written in the script by the God where it turned out to be two and a half months."
Months after the dismal IPL 2024 season, Hardik turned things around by playing a massive role in India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. The star all-rounder also played a pivotal role in the side's recent Champions Trophy title run.
"The goal was to get experience" - Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya stated that the intention of the franchise during the 2025 IPL auction was to assemble an experienced bowling attack for the upcoming season. MI brought back New Zealand pacer Trent Boult and also added IPL veterans like Mitchell Santner and Deepak Chahar to their roster.
"This year, the goal was to get experience. I think you can see from the whole sheet where we wanted experienced bowling attack. Because Wankhede is where you get checked, and it can be quite intimidating playing in IPL in Mumbai, in Wankhede," said Hardik.
He continued:
"And the wickets are generally high-scoring. So we wanted to focus on people who have a lot of experience at the same point of time, who have the swing, who have the bounce on that track, which we can get the most out of. And I think somehow we have, we have made a very gun team where top to bottom we have been able to fulfill. It's just that we all have to turn up now."
MI's IPL 2025 campaign will begin with a highly anticipated contest against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Chennai on March 23.