Hardik Pandya Has "Lot Of Questions" With MI All But Out Of IPL, Puts Blame On...

Hardik Pandya’s Decisions ‘Baffling, KKR Had No Right To Win’: Ex-IPL Champion Shreds MI’s Dismal Show

After the clash between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, Australia’s World Cup-winner allrounder Shane Watson said that the Kolkata-based franchise didn’t deserve to win the match as they lost the first five wickets very quickly. Riding on an 83-run stand between Venkatesh Iyer-Manish Pandey followed by Mitchell Starc’s pure pace magic KKR registered a 24-run victory against MI at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday. Starc made an extraordinary comeback in the tournament returning with a figure of 4-33. The Knight Riders ended their 12-year wait for a victory at the Wankhede stadium with a 24-run win to edge closer to the playoff spots. Former Australian cricketer asserted that the Knight Riders had no right to win the match after losing the first five wickets so early in the clash against the five-time champion MI. “KKR had no right to win that game tonight after the position they were in five wickets down. It just shows the fight that they have and also just some of the things that happened. Some of the decisions that were made whether that was bowling changes or batting lineup deployment, some of those decisions were very baffling just to really give KKR the upper hand in a game that was just on a knife’s edge at certain times,” Watson, a former IPL champion with Chennai Super Kings, said on Jio Cinema. The 42-year-old further stated that this victory will give the Shreyas Iyer-led side a lot of confidence. “Look that will give KKR so much confidence to know that they don’t have to be at their very best and be in a position where the game was nearly done and they’ve got the fight and determination to find their way to actually get on the right side of the result,” the two-time IPL champion added. Coming to the match, put to bat first, a solid partnership stand of 83 runs between Venkatesh Iyer (70 off 52) and Manish Pandey (42 off 31) guided KKR to 169. For MI, Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers at 3 for 18 in 3.5 overs with two wickets in one over. In reply, MI were bundled out for 145. Starc made a terrific comeback in the tournament returning with a figure of 4-33 in just 3.5 spells, handing KKR a 24-run victory. Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine both finished with identical figures of 2/22, including some big wickets in the first half of the chase which put KKR on top in the match. Following the win, KKR stand in second place on IPL 2024 standings with 14 points. Meanwhile, MI hold ninth place with 6 points by their name. KKR will next take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday. Topics mentioned in this article

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Gautam Gambhir's tweet after KKR beat MI at Wankhede is all about pain, fighting spirit and redemption

Gautam Gambhir’s tweet after KKR beat MI at Wankhede is all about pain, fighting spirit and redemption

Mitchell Starc let out a roar after knocking down Gerarld Coetzee’s middle stump. It was his third wicket of the over and the fourth of the night overall for the Australian quick but more importantly, it was the last of the Mumbai Indians’ team. Kolkata Knight Riders had finally managed to beat MI at the Wankhede Stadium after 12 long years. No team have a better head-to-head record in the IPL than MI over KKR. You could see what it meant to KKR. Mentor Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar were embracing and shouting in each other’s ears. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan embraces the team mentor Gautam Gambhir(ANI) It was just different emotions. KKR have been one of the teams to beat in this IPL and MI have been just the opposite. But KKR vs MI is one encounter that doesn’t follow form and reputation. It’s just one-way traffic in favour of the five-time champions. That’s why this victory tasted way sweeter for the men in purple. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! Starc is in his first season with KKR. Even their captain Shreyas Iyer, who was showing more emotions on the field on Friday than he usually does, has been around the team for three years. They must have heard about MI’s domination of KKR but didn’t quite experience it. For Gambhir, though, it’s different. He was the last KKR captain to beat MI at Wankhede in 2012. The only other KKR member who was part of the team in both of those wins, 12 years apart, is Sunil Narine. The West Indies all-rounder was in fact Player of the Match for his 4/15 in the 2012 match at Wanhede against MI. He once again made a useful contribution with the ball, picking up 2/22 in his four overs. He is not known to be too emotive, so judging the magnitude of KKR’s victory on Friday by looking at Narine’s expressions might not be the best of ideas, but looking at Gambhir sure is. After his emotional embrace with Nayar in the dugout, the KKR mentor was all smiles during the post-match handshakes. The former India opener did not take much longer to let his emotions flow on social media. “Turning the tide after 12 yrs at Wankhede! Beautifully done boys!” he wrote on X. If KKR batters were guilty of not working out their game plan on the go in the first half to be bowled out for just 169 with Venkatesh Iyer contributing 70, Mumbai Indians’ underperforming batters stood no chance on a tricky wicket which demanded both application and patience. They were all-out for 145 in 18.5 overs and are practically out of the competition which has been a nightmare for Hardik Pandya. Despite Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliant fifty, Mumbai Indians were shot out for 145 in 18.5 overs chasing 170, found wanting with the bat once again as Mitchell Starc (3.5-0-33-4) cleaned up the tail for KKR’s seventh win in 10 matches.

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Mitchell Starc defends his numbers after his best spell in IPL 2024 – India TV

Mitchell Starc defends his numbers after his best spell in IPL 2024 – India TV

Image Source : BCCI/IPL Mitchell Starc during the MI vs KKR IPL 2024 post-match press conference at Wankhede Stadium on May 3, 2024 Kolkata Knight Riders produced an impressive all-round performance to end Mumbai Indians’ hopes to secure playoff qualification in the IPL 2024 on Friday. Venkatesh Iyer and Mitchell Starc emerged as heroes to help Kolkata further strengthen their second position in the points table with a 24-run win at Wankhede Stadium. Venkatesh Iyer claimed the Player of the Match award for his 70 runs off 52 balls innings but Starc stole the limelight with his late match-winning spell. The Australian pacer gave KKR a breakthrough with Ishan Kishan’s early wicket and then picked three wickets in the penultimate over to bowl out Mumbai on just 145. Starc’s four wickets for 33 figures significantly boosted his concerning numbers in the IPL 2024. Arriving at Eden Gardens with a record price stage of INR 24.75 crore, Starc managed to pick only two wickets in his first four innings but has made a stunning comeback with nine wickets in his last five innings. While answering media questions in the post-match presser, the 34-year-old left-arm pacer admitted that he wanted to impress from the beginning of the tournament but pointed out that he is not the only bowler struggling in the IPL.  “As T20 cricket doesn’t always go the way you want it to go, and of course, I wanted to go a bit better at the start,” Mitchell Starc said after Kolkata’s win over Mumbai on Friday. “But I am not the only bowler going for runs. It is what it is. The fact that we sit second [on the points table] and are building towards the more important games at the back end and are playing some good cricket, hopefully, I can be a part of it too.” Starc also shared his thoughts on the impact substitute rule and how it is not doing any favour to bowlers. Teams have already managed to post 250-plus totals on a record eight times this season and bowlers are getting criticized for their expensive spells.  “The Impact Player rule changes things a fair bit. Everyone gets to bat a lot deeper having a batting and a bowling XI. There’s a lot made of that rule throughout the tournament and there’s been a lot of high scores, which is the nature of the wickets and the grounds we play on here. When you have batters and batting allrounders come in at Nos. 8 or 9, it’s a long batting line-up,” Starc added. Starc has now picked 11 wickets in nine innings at an economy rate of 11.40 in the tournament and will next seen in action against Lucknow Super Ginats at Ekana Cricket Stadium on May 5.  

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'KKR had no right to win...': Former Aussie all-rounder makes bold statement | Cricket News

‘KKR had no right to win…’: Former Aussie all-rounder makes bold statement | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Following the Mumbai Indians’ clash with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Australian World Cup-winning all-rounder Shane Watson commented that the Kolkata-based franchise did not deserve to win the match due to their initial loss of five wickets in quick succession.KKR secured a 24-run victory against MI at the Wankhede Stadium, powered by an impressive 83-run partnership between Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey, complemented by Mitchell Starc‘s outstanding bowling performance, claiming figures of 4-33.This win marked Kolkata Knight Riders’ first victory at the Wankhede Stadium in 12 years, bringing them closer to the playoff spots in the tournament.The former Australian cricketer emphasized that the Knight Riders had little justification for winning the match after losing their first five wickets so quickly in their encounter against the five-time champions MI.“KKR had no right to win that game tonight after the position they were in five wickets down. It just shows the fight that they have and also just some of the things that happened. Some of the decisions that were made whether that was bowling changes or batting lineup deployment, some of those decisions were very baffling just to really give KKR the upper hand in a game that was just on a knife’s edge at certain times,” Watson said on Jio Cinema.The 42-year-old further mentioned that this victory would significantly boost the confidence of the Shreyas Iyer-led side.“Look that will give KKR so much confidence to know that they don’t have to be at their very best and be in a position where the game was nearly done and they’ve got the fight and determination to find their way to actually get on the right side of the result,” the two-time IPL champion added.Coming to the match, put to bat first, a solid partnership stand of 83 runs between Venkatesh Iyer (70 off 52) and Manish Pandey (42 off 31) guided KKR to 169. For MI, Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers at 3 for 18 in 3.5 overs with two wickets in one over.In reply, MI were bundled out for 145. Starc made a terrific comeback in the tournament returning with a figure of 4-33 in just 3.5 spells, handing KKR a 24-run victory. Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine both finished with identical figures of 2/22, including some big wickets in the first half of the chase which put KKR on top in the match.Following the win, KKR stand in second place on IPL 2024 standings with 14 points. Meanwhile, MI hold ninth place with 6 points by their name.KKR will next take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday.(With ANI inputs)

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IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians can still qualify for playoffs - Here is how | Cricket News

IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians can still qualify for playoffs – Here is how | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) are currently struggling in the IPL 2024 standings, occupying the ninth position with six points and a net run rate of -0.356 after winning only three out of their eleven matches. Although their chances of finishing in the top three have diminished, they still have an opportunity to qualify for the playoffs.In their recent encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday, MI suffered a 24-run defeat.To secure a playoff berth, Pandya’s team must win their remaining three matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), KKR, and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), accumulating 12 points from 14 matches.However, their qualification also depends on the results of other teams. MI cannot surpass Rajasthan Royals (RR) and KKR in the standings, as they have already amassed 16 and 14 points respectively after playing 10 matches each. Similarly, they will remain below SRH and LSG, who have already secured 12 points. MI’s only chance of finishing fourth is if LSG loses all their remaining four matches against KKR, SRH, Delhi Capitals (DC), and MI.Furthermore, MI will closely monitor the performance of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), DC, Gujarat Titans (GT), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), hoping that they do not exceed the 12-point mark and maintain a lower net run rate in IPL 2024.In the match between MI and KKR, Mumbai opted to field first. A strong partnership of 83 runs between Venkatesh Iyer (70 off 52) and Manish Pandey (42 off 31) propelled KKR to a total of 169. Jasprit Bumrah’s impressive spell of 3 for 18 in 3.5 overs, including a double-wicket over, was a highlight for MI. In response, MI were bowled out for 145. Starc made a remarkable comeback, claiming 4 wickets for 33 runs in just 3.5 overs, leading KKR to a 24-run victory. Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine also contributed with identical figures of 2/22, taking crucial wickets in the first half of the chase, which put KKR in a commanding position.Following their victory, KKR now hold the second position in the IPL 2024 standings with 14 points, while MI remain in ninth place with 6 points. MI’s next match is against SRH on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium.(Inputs from ANI)

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IPL 2024 RCB vs GT LIVE Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Host Gujarat Titans

IPL 2024 RCB vs GT LIVE Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Host Gujarat Titans

IPL 2024 LIVE Score RCB vs GT© BCCI RCB vs GT Live Updates, IPL 2024: From a maths perspective, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans can still reach the IPL playoffs, but they need to ward off inner gremlins on Saturday to notch a mandatory win to keep that dream flickering. The Royal Challengers are the bottom-dwellers with six points from 10 matches, while the Titans are placed eighth with eight points from 10 matches. However, the floundering outings of Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals (10 points each) have fuelled the hopes of these two teams of sneaking into the middle tier of the points table and from there to the knockouts. (Live Scorecard | IPL 2024 Points Table) Topics mentioned in this article

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'It will be tough to refuse ICC events': Rashid Latif warns India amid doubts over visit to Pakistan for Champions Trophy | Cricket News

‘It will be tough to refuse ICC events’: Rashid Latif warns India amid doubts over visit to Pakistan for Champions Trophy | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has stated that India will need to provide a “logical answer” to the ICC if they choose not to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy next year. He believes that refusing to participate in an ICC event can have negative consequences for the team. Sources have indicated that Team India may not take part in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, with discussions about potentially changing the venue or adopting a hybrid model. “You can refuse the bilateral series. But it will be tough to refuse ICC events. When ICC chalk out its plan, the teams know where they have to play, like Pakistan knew that they have to go to India to play the World Cup, and contracts are signed accordingly for cricket boards,” Latif said.He further added, “It seems a bit tough to refuse ICC events… In the 1996 World Cup, Australia and West Indies refused to go to Sri Lanka and the entire group changed and Sri Lanka became the champion. This was a very big mistake… If India or Pakistan has signed in, they will have to go for that event. If any circumstances occur on a government level, then you have to provide a logical answer as to why not coming. You can refuse the bilateral series citing the conditions in Pakistan are not right etc etc… In my opinion, refusing an ICC event can backfire.”According to reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board has suggested to the ICC that India’s qualifying round matches during the Champions Trophy be held in a single city. The PCB has selected Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore as the tournament venues, with Lahore hosting the final match.(Inputs from IANS)

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IPL-17: LSG vs KKR | Playoffs hopeful Lucknow Super Giants wary of dominant Kolkata Knight Riders’ all-round firepower

IPL-17: LSG vs KKR | Playoffs hopeful Lucknow Super Giants wary of dominant Kolkata Knight Riders’ all-round firepower

Lucknow Super Giants will have to bring their ‘A’ game forward to prevail against a dominant Kolkata Knight Riders when the two teams, marching towards IPL playoffs, clash in Lucknow on May 5. With an all-round win by 24 runs over Mumbai Indians propelling the second-placed KKR to 14 points — one more step closer to qualification — the pressure will be on KL Rahul’s LSG to find a way past the threat that Shreyas Iyer’s side poses. Lucknow Super Giants are placed just one rung below KKR at number three with 12 points from 10 matches with six wins and four defeats. With a rampant Sunrisers Hyderabad (12 points) hot on heir heels at fourth, followed by the dangerous Chennai Super Kings (10 points) and Delhi Capitals (10 points) on the points table, LSG will be under pressure to avoid getting into a mid-table battle as the race for the final-four has intensified. LSG were far from convincing in their previous assignment at Ekana Stadium here as they were made to work hard in a modest 145-run chase by Mumbai Indians, winning by just four wickets in the last over. Skipper Rahul and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis have been the key players for LSG and it remains to be seen if South Africa veteran Quinton de Kock is brought back in place of young Arshin Kulkarni, who opened the innings in the last game. Even though he has gone without a fifty since the first game, Nicholas Pooran has consistently notched up crucial scores but LSG’s overall finishing skills is under question following their struggles against Mumbai Indians. LSG seemed to have made heavy weather towards the end giving MI a real sniff by losing wickets in a flurry and completing their modest chase with some stutter. Ayush Badoni has had a subdued run in this IPL and the uncapped Indian player would be keen to shrug off the rustiness. LSG’s bowlers will also face a stern test with none of them making a real dent with individual brilliance in this IPL. LSG are also likely to be without express pacer Mayank Yadav. Having lost only three of their 11 matches so far, it has taken something out of the ordinary to stop KKR in their tracks. CSK used a spin-friendly surface to eke out a win in Chepauk, while RR’s all-round class helped them pip KKR in a high-scoring thriller. If anything, KKR’s bowling woes were exposed when Punjab Kings recorded IPL’s highest chase ever against them, but Iyer’s side has emerged strongly from that setback with two impressive wins. However, having trumped MI on a sluggish wicket which exposed their batting frailties, KKR will aim for a much improved performance with the bat. For the second time in this IPL, KKR batters struggled when the ball did not come on to the bat and they were forced to change gears in order to build a strong target. KKR slipped to 57 for five at one stage and ran the risk of being shot out for a paltry total, but Venkatesh Iyer (70) and Manish Pandey (42) came to the rescue with a fine 83-run stand. Iyer and Pandey were forced to soak pressure, curb their attacking game and look to farm the strike to build a recovery path for their side before the bowlers carried out a perfect job to secure a 24-run win. Teams (from): Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (c & wk), Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Shamar Joseph, Yash Thakur, Manimaran Siddharth, Prerak Mankad, Arshad Khan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Amit Mishra, Kyle Mayers, Ashton Turner, Matt Henry, Naveen-ul-Haq, Devdutt Padikkal, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Mayank Yadav, Arshin Kulkarni. Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), KS Bharat (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gus Atkinson, Allah Ghazanfar, Phil Salt. Match starts 7:30pm IST.

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IPL-17: PBKS vs CSK | Chennai Super Kings eye payback in second successive clash against Punjab Kings

IPL-17: PBKS vs CSK | Chennai Super Kings eye payback in second successive clash against Punjab Kings

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will look to set their house in order and get back to winning ways when they face an upbeat yet unpredictable Punjab Kings for the second time in a row in the IPL in Dharamsala on May 5. Just three days back, PBKS outclassed CSK by seven wickets at Chepauk, considered their fortress. The two losses in the last three games at home have put Chennai in a spot. They are placed fifth on the table with 10 points and the five-time champions will hope the change of venue would bring a change in fortune as well with just four games to go to seal their place in the knockout stage. CSK’s failure to push the pace in the middle overs against the spin duo of Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar saw them post a below-par score of 162-7. Their batting has become too dependent on skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and six-hitting machine Shivam Dube and the moment one of them fails, it puts the pressure on others who have not been consistent in bailing out the team. While Gaikwad hit his fifth 50-plus score of the season to hold it together, veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane once again failed to capitalise on the starts, while Ravindra Jadeja and Sameer Rizvi struggled against spin. CSK also has been hampered by the health and fitness concerns of their pacers, including Deepak Chahar, who limped off holding his hamstring after bowling just two balls and is likely to miss the reverse clash against PBKS. The absence of their frontline bowlers, Matheesha Pathirana (niggle) and Tushar Deshpande (flu), also didn’t help matters the other day. Add to that the dew factor which took the spinners out of the equation and PBKS romped home comfortably. While Richard Gleeson made his IPL debut in the last match, CSK might bring back Mukesh Choudhary. Punjab Kings, on the other hand, have seen a resurgence as they registered back-to-back wins to re-ignite their playoffs hopes. En route to their win over CSK, Punjab became the second team after Mumbai Indians to beat the defending champions five times in a row and they will fancy their chances. Punjab remains an unpredictable side as although it notched up wins over Gujarat in Ahmedabad, Chennai at Chepauk and also chased down a T20 record score against KKR, it has struggled at home against RR, SRH and Gujarat. With back-to-back wins, PBKS climbed to seventh spot with 8 points and will need to carry the momentum to salvage their slim hopes. Jonny Bairstow, who made a hundred against KKR, will be their go-to man, while Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh too have to raise their hands. PBKS’ bowling department has experienced names such as Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran and they need to be consistent. Rabada was brilliant the other day but others have gone for runs. If PBKS has to repeat their performance against CSK then the spinners — Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar — will have to deliver once again. Interestingly, the first IPL match in Dharmasala stadium was a clash between Chennai and Punjab in 2010. The venue offers a lot of runs and dew remains a factor, making it an enticing contest. Teams Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Aravelly Avanish, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, RS Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Shardul Thakur, Maheesh Theekshana and Sameer Rizvi. Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, Harshal Patel, Chris Woakes, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan, Prince Choudhary, Rilee Rossouw. Match starts: 3.30 PM.

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IPL-17 | Hardik Pandya looks flattened, drained and under pressure: Aaron Finch

IPL-17 | Hardik Pandya looks flattened, drained and under pressure: Aaron Finch

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya walks off the ground during the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Friday, May 3, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI India vice-captain Hardik Pandya looks drained, flattened, under pressure and Mumbai Indians looks like a confused unit under him, reckons former cricketers Aaron Finch and Greame Smith as five-time champions continue to struggle in the IPL. Pandya once again walked out to loud boos around the Wankhede Stadium here on Friday during Mumbai Indians’ yet another disappointing outing, which they lost by 24 runs to Kolkata Knight Riders. Mumbai Indians had begun the contest on a positive note by snaffling five quick wickets to leave KKR reeling at 57 for five, but the visitors fought back to post 169 on the board. In reply, Mumbai crashed out for 145 in 18.5 overs despite Suryakumar Yadav’s 56. Pandya lasted only two deliveries as Mumbai’s batters once again cut a sorry figure on a two-paced track to succumb to their eighth defeat in 11 matches this season. “He just looks really flattened at the moment, he looks really drained and someone who is feeling the pressure. I feel for him; I have been in that situation myself where everything that you’re trying personally doesn’t seem to be working,” Finch was quoted as saying by Star Sports. “When the team isn’t performing as well, that is a very difficult place to be. It one thing where you’re not performing and the team is winning — that is something you’d take as a captain. You bear all responsibility as captain for the team’s performance and that is an incredibly hard place to be, particularly in this competition where it’s so brutal,” Finch added. The former Australia opener conceded Mumbai Indians should have got over the line chasing 170 at a ground considered a haven for batters. “You would expect them to chase 170 with the dew falling at the Wankhede stadium. It’s a beautiful place to bat, generally. Yes, it was a bit uncharacteristic in the way it turned a bit more two-paced than what we have seen in the past,” Finch said. South Africa’s legendary captain Graeme Smith said MI have been a ‘confused team’ under Pandya with plenty of changes being made with the personnel. “Hardik has really struggled, he’s looked like a man under pressure. That has created a little turmoil in the air, who knows how that has affected the people. But even the batting lineup, they look like they’re confused,” he said. “Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir were fighting in the middle order, Dhir was batting at No 3, and Hardik moving all over the place. They should have had Tilak at (No) 3, Sky at (No) 4, and Hardik batting at (No) 5 throughout the season, with David at (No) 6. Then, figure out your bowling units,” he said. “All over and all around, they’ve been a very confused team this season and it’s been hugely disappointing from one of the mega franchises of the IPL. A lot of people in the MI fanbase and camp will be very sore,” Smith added. Former Australia vice-captain Shane Watson was also critical of Pandya’s captaincy calls, saying MI allowed KKR back into the game by not deploying their best bowler when they were 57 for five. “To keep bowling Naman Dhir when it was so critical (KKR were at 57-5), it was a big mistake from the leadership of the Mumbai Indians, whether it was Hardik Pandya making the decisions or information coming from the sideline,” Watson told Jio Cinema. “(Jasprit) Bumrah had bowled only one over at that stage, so (they needed to) get him in the game again to try and break the partnership of Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey, but they didn’t. They just let them cruise and build momentum in the partnership.” “Before you know it, they hadn’t played a shot in anger and that built the partnership to a point where it was too late when he came in. There were a lot of baffling decisions from the Mumbai Indians’ leadership, which is going to be hard to explain,” Watson added.

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