Mumbai Indians’ newly-appointed captain Hardik Pandya has come under the scanner of critics for his poor captaincy in the ongoing 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League as Mumbai Indians slumped to their 4th defeat of IPL 2024, losing to arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings by 20 runs on Sunday evening at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Mumbai Indians currently sit at the 8th position on the points table, and with each loss, their chances of qualifying for the IPL playoffs are dwindling.
MI Fans Slammed Hardik Pandya For His Poor Captaincy Against CSK
The five-time champions have suffered two defeats at the Wankhede Stadium, and as they prepare to play their next three matches at other venues, the challenge becomes even tougher, especially with Hardik Pandya facing increased pressure.
Apart from his captaincy, Hardik’s recent performances with the bat and the ball are drawing criticism. In the last match, he struggled with his bowling, conceding 2/43 from three overs. The final over proved costly, with MS Dhoni smashing him for a hat-trick of sixes, leading Chennai Super Kings to a total over 200. If Hardik had performed better, the target could have been lower for Mumbai Indians to chase.
Meanwhile, social media has been buzzing with reactions from the fans. From memes to jokes, fans on social media are slamming Pandya for his poor captaincy and performances. Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar also slammed Pandya for his ‘ordinary’ captaincy and performances. Speaking to Star Sports, Gavaskar said:
“Probably the worst kind of bowling that I’ve seen for a long, long time. It almost looks like I’ve had this embrace with my hero. I’ve got a bowling kind of deliveries that he’s gonna hit for sixes. One 6 is fine. The next one again a length ball when you know that this batter is looking for a length ball to hit. The third ball again, a full toss on the leg side and he’s looking for it and hits it for a 6. Absolutely ordinary bowling, ordinary captaincy,” Gavaskar said during his analysis in the mid-innings break.
“It’s affecting him, it’s affecting his cricket and something needs to happen” – #KevinPietersen on Hardik’s last over vs @msdhoni and the ups and downs of his captaincy!
📹 | Watch the legends of the game, #SunilGavaskar and @KP24 talk more about @hardikpandya7‘s leadership!… pic.twitter.com/QxCKE6KXf8
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 14, 2024
Check out the reactions of the fans:
