"Too many mistakes by their captain Hardik Pandya" - Irfan Pathan explains reason behind Mumbai Indians' disappointing showing in IPL 2024
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan once again called out Hardik Pandya's captaincy as Mumbai Indians (MI) slid to another defeat in IPL 2024 on Tuesday. The five-time champions suffered their seventh defeat of the season after going down to the Lucknow Super Giants.
Pathan observed that the team wasn't managed well this season as Jasprit Bumrah's addition should have made them firm contenders to qualify for the playoffs. It is worth noting that Bumrah missed the entire 2023 edition due to his back injury. Despite missing their ace fast bowler, Mumbai still managed to reach the playoffs.
Following the four-wicket loss to the Lucknow, Pathan wrote on his official X account:
"The team Mumbai Indians that qualified last year didn’t had Jasprit Bumrah but this season they had his services. Still they are in this situation. Purely because the team wasn’t managed well on the ground. Too many mistakes by their captain Hardik Pandya. It’s the truth."
With the franchise replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain, the latter lost the support of fans entirely. The outside noise has had an impact on the all-rounder's performance. In 10 matches, the MI skipper has only managed 197 runs at 21.88 alongside six scalps.
"A lot of things to learn from this game" - Hardik Pandya
The 30-year-old, who perished for a golden duck, but took two wickets, lamented the loss of early wickets after their defeat against Lucknow. At the same time, the Baroda-born cricketer suggested that luck has been on the wrong side for them, stating at the post-match presentation:
"I think losing early wickets is tough to recover from and that's what we couldn't do it (recover) today. You still have to see the ball and hit. We just missed those balls and got out, that has been the kind of season we have had so far. I have always believed that you will be up and you'll be up, just that you got to give it your all. A lot of things to learn from this game."
The four-wicket loss to the Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium was Mumbai Indians' seventh loss in 10 matches and they have plummeted to the ninth position.