Mumbai Indians led by Hardik Pandya finally tasted victory at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on 7 April after a hat-trick of loss as they defeated Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals by 29 runs in Indian Premier League 2024.
After losing five wickets, Mumbai Indians posted 234 runs while batting first, while Delhi could score just 205 runs in return after losing eight wickets.
The major concern that popped up despite MI winning the match which gained fans’ and experts’ attention was Hardik Pandya’s decision not to bowl a single over throughout the run-chase.
Also, Pandya even didn’t bowl for MI in the past two games, which raised several eyebrows if he is fit. Earlier, while playing with Gujarat Titans and Sunriser Hyderabad, he bowled.
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When asked the reason for not opting to bowl in the past two games at the post-match presentation, he did not give the desired answer but said that he is fit and fine.
“All good, I will be bowling at the right time. Had it covered, so didn’t need to roll my arm over,” Hardik said.
Pandya returned to the cricket field after nearly four months of absence from the game. Before IPL, he was last seen in October 2023 during the 2023 World Cup group stage match against Bangladesh. During the World Cup 2023, he faced an injury, and was sidelined from the tournament and later was not seen in India’s limited-overs series against Australia, South Africa, and Afghanistan.
On Hardik Pandya’s first win in IPL as MI skipper:
On his win against Delhi Capitals, the all-rounder said, “I would like to have this feeling (of being winning captain) more often than not. Lots of hard work, hard to clear our minds, and everything clicked,” Hardik said.
“Settling of the team is important. There was a lot of love and care going around, everyone knows we lost three games but the belief and backing was there, everyone believes we needed just one win and today was the start,” he stated.
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