IPL 2024

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

Danijones12 months ago04 mins

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)

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

Danijones12 months ago07 mins

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.

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

Danijones12 months ago07 mins

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.

Venkatesh Iyer asks Mitchell Starc where was he hiding Alyssa Healy after match-winning spell vs MI

Danijones12 months ago04 mins

KKR and star Australia seamer Mitchell Starc had a phenomenal outing during Match 51 of the Indian Premier League 2024 against MI as he picked 4/33 in 3.5 overs. Notably, the 34-year-old’s spouse and Australian women’s team skipper Alyssa Healy was also present at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai as Starc picked three wickets in his last over to set up a 24-run victory for KKR. Following the match-winning spell by the most expensive player in the history of the league, Starc’s KKR teammate Venkatesh Iyer hilariously asked him where he had been hiding his lady luck all this while. The speedster replied that Healy had been at home since she had been on the road for a long time due to international commitments. “Mitch very well bowled but I have to ask you where were you hiding Alyssa Healy till now,” asked Iyer in the post-match chat posted by IPL. “She’s been at home because she’s been on the road for a while so now she’s here but she stayed till the end so hopefully that’s a good sign,” Starc replied. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule Further speaking ahead, the left-arm seamer spoke about his plans in the finishing over where he got the prized scalp of Tim David (24 off 20) which sealed the win for his side. “I was watching a little bit of video and talking a few people and trying to change a few things. I haven’t felt like it’s been going wrong. Nice to get a few in the right areas tonight with a bit of rhythm and close out the game which is nice. The last over, obviously Timmy (Tim David) got hold of that first ball and then just tried to stay step ahead trying to get those wide yorkers in there and missed on the fuller side. I think its equal, the spinners in the middle is a fantastic spell of overs there. They just really strangled the innings in the middle and really made it a lot easy for us at the back end,” he added. In the nine matches played in the season so far, Mitchell Starc has picked 11 wickets at an average of 33 and an economy of 11.40 with best figures of 4/33. Earlier, he also registered match-winning figures of 2/25 vs DC and 3/28 vs LSG. Published By: Saurabh Kumar Published On: May 4, 2024

‘In my cricket life, MS Dhoni is playing my father’s role’ | Cricket News

Danijones12 months ago03 mins

Ever since asking Joginder Sharma to bowl the final over of the 2007 T20 World Cup against Pakistan, former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and India captain MS Dhoni has been known to putting his trust into young players and turning them into champion performers, and Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana is experiencing something similar at CSK in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.IPL 2024: Results | Points TableHaving a slingy action similar to Sri Lankan fast-bowling legend Lasith Malinga, Pathirana is currently fifth on the list of top wicket-takers in this IPL season, with 13 wickets in six matches.He finished among the top 10 bowlers in the 2023 season as well.He credits that success to the confidence shown in him by Dhoni, who handed over CSK captaincy duties to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of IPL 2024. WATCH VIDEO “After my father, in my cricket life, mostly he (Dhoni) is playing my father’s role because he is always taking care of me, giving me advice, what I have to do, similar to my father when I am at home,” said Pathirana on the latest episode of ‘Lions Upclose’.Pathirana further revealed that Dhoni doesn’t say much and always stresses on the need to enjoying the game and taking care of fitness. “He’s not telling a lot of things when I am on the field and off the field. He tells just small tings, but it makes a lot of difference. So those little things, I take a lot of confidence (from),” said the 21-year-old Sri Lankan pacer. “In my cricket life, Dhoni’s like my father”| Lions up close Ft. Matheesha Pathirana “Off the field, we don’t talk that much; but if I have to ask something from him, definitely I would go to him and ask. Everytime he is telling me ‘enjoy your game and take care of your body’.” The pacer from Trinity College in Kandy then slipped in quiet request that is on every CSK fan’s wish-list. “Mahi bhai, if you can play one more season, please play with us. If I’m here (laughs).”

Why did Rohit Sharma play as Impact Player against Kolkata Knight Riders? Piyush Chawla reveals reason – India TV

Danijones12 months ago03 mins

Image Source : PTI Rohit Sharma alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Ishan Kishan. Rohit Sharma’s absence from Mumbai Indians’ playing XI in the 51st game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 17 raised many eyebrows and opened up room for speculation. The absence of “The Hitman” left many fans bemused as Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to field first against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on their home turf (Wankhede Stadium) in Mumbai. However, the anxiety of fans came to a pleasant end as the former Mumbai Indians skipper made his way to the wicket alongside his opening partner Ishan Kishan to get the chase underway for the hosts. Though Rohit didn’t last long and got out to Sunil Narine while attempting a pull, his arrival at the crease brought assurance to the hearts of the apprehensive fans. Mumbai lost the clash by 24 runs but are still alive in the race to the playoffs, barely though. With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 fast approaching, Team India can’t afford to lose Rohit to injury and hence the apprehension of fans is understandable. However, Mumbai’s veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla revealed that there are no major concerns with Rohit’s fitness and his inclusion in the game as an Impact Sub was just a precautionary measure. “Rohit had a mild back stiffness. So, just as a precaution he was brought in as an Impact Player,” Chawla revealed during the post-match presentation Chawla’s statement has allayed the fears of the Indian cricket fans who want to see Rohit lead the team from the front at ICC’s marquee tournament. The winners of the inaugural edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup have been placed in Group A alongside the co-hosts USA, arch-rivals Pakistan, Canada and Ireland. India begin their campaign against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 5.

IPL 2024: Why Rohit Sharma played as an impact sub in Mumbai Indians-Kolkata Knight Riders clash | Cricket News

Danijones12 months ago05 mins

NEW DELHI: Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla stated that India captain and Mumbai Indians opener Rohit Sharma was compelled to play as an impact substitute in the IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders because of a “mild back stiffness”.IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLETheir 24-run defeat against KKR, in which Rohit was an impact substitute, saw him score just 11 runs in 12 balls in the second innings. This loss almost saw the five-time winners eliminated from the IPL this year.“He just had a mild back stiffness so it was just a precautionary thing,” Chawla told the media after the match here at the Wankhede Stadium.Mumbai’s eighth loss in 11 games has put an end to the Hardik Pandya-led team, and Chawla also acknowledged that their only remaining motivation is “pride”. “For the pride and the reputation, because sometimes when you enter on the field, you don’t think whether you are going to qualify or you are not going to qualify,” he said.“You have to play for your name and that’s what we are playing for,” he added.MI’s lack of momentum throughout this IPL season, according to Chawla, is the cause of their subpar play.“You must have often heard about that T20 is all about momentum and just that we didn’t get that momentum going this season and it can happen to any team,” he said. “It’s not like it’s happening to us for the first time or any other team for the second time. It can happen to anyone and it’s just that that momentum was not our way.”On Friday, the 35-year-old Chawla overtook Dwayne Bravo to claim 184 wickets, becoming him the second-highest wicket-taker in the IPL.“It has been a beautiful journey because IPL started 17 years back and at that time nobody gave that much preference to the spinners, but now if you see that in top few wicket takers in India, especially all the spinners, Ashwin, Yuzhi, myself (are there), so it’s a good feeling,” he said. In addition, Chawla commended Manish Pandey for his performance in his first game of the season despite being under pressure. As KKR scored 169 all out in 19.5 overs, Pandey (42) and Venkatesh Iyer (70) shared 83 runs for the sixth wicket.“It was a good partnership and credit has to go to them because they batted beautifully. Well, T20 is something in which experience plays a big role, (which is) what we saw today.“When Manish walked in, maybe if somebody walks in who must have played few games, he would have panicked that runs are not coming.“But he read the situation and the way he handled the situation because if you see in starting, he was hardly going at run a ball. But later on, he knew that he has to stand there with Venky.” (With PTI inputs)

Watch: As Mumbai Indians lose again under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, ‘Rohit, Rohit’ chants echo in Wankhede | Cricket News

Danijones12 months ago03 mins

Hardik Pandya‘s captaincy was once again questioned after Mumbai Indians (MI) succumbed to their eighth defeat of IPL 2024, as the five-time champions failed to chase a below-par target of 170 on their home ground, Wankhede Stadium, against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday.IPL 2024: Results | Points Table Frustratingly enduring one of their worst seasons, the MI fans at the Wankhede broke into loud chants of ‘Rohit, Rohit’ during the match, a video of which has gone viral on social media. KKR put up 169 on the board, thanks to a half-century by Venkatesh Iyer (70 off 52 balls) and an equally crucial 31-ball 42 by Manish Pandey, despite MI having the visitors on the ropes at 57/5 in just the seventh over.WATCH VIDEO Mitchell Starc, the most expensive player in IPL history, finally did justice to his price tag with match-winning figures of 4/33 as Mumbai folded up for 145 in 18.5 overs despite Suryakumar Yadav’s 35-ball 56. Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell took two wickets each.Former India pacer Irfan Pathan came down heavily on Hardik’s decisions as captain, especially when KKR had lost half their side inside the seventh over.“When you had KKR’s five wickets for just 57 runs, there was no need to give Naman Dhir three overs in a row. You should have got your main bowlers on, but you had your sixth bowler deliver three overs. That allowed Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey to put a partnership together….Where you could have bowled KKR out for 150, they went on to make 170, and that turned out to be the difference,” said Irfan. “In cricket, captaincy has a huge effect and it’s very important to manage, which did not happen. Mumbai Indians isn’t looking like a team that is playing as a unit, and this aspect needs to be looked at going forward for Mumbai Indians. Players need to respect the captain and also accept him appreciably, this is very important. That, I think, could not be seen on the field,” he added.

‘Badi jaldi aaya…’: Virat Kohli pulls Shubman Gill’s leg as GT captain visits RCB dressing room before IPL 2024 clash

Danijones12 months ago04 mins

In patchy form currently, Shubman Gill missed out on a spot in the 15-member Team India squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The Gujarat Titans captain was named in the reserves list, losing his spot in the 15-member squad to Rajasthan Royals’ Yashasvi Jaiswal. Virat Kohli makes fun of Shubman Gill. Gearing up for GT’s upcoming fixture against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gill surprised India teammate Virat Kohli, as he appeared early for practice. In a viral video, shared by GT on X, Gill can be seen greeting Kohli and the RCB star jokes, “Badi jaldi aaya practice mei (You came so early for practice)!’ Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! Their camaraderie and friendship was perfectly visible in the video as Kohli donned the senior role and joked with Gill, who is his junior. Here is the video: In IPL 2024, Gill has managed 320 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 140.96. He is 15th in the Orange Cap race and is not expected to retain it this season. Last year, he won the Orange Cap with 890 runs in 17 matches as GT finished as runners-up. It was a season to remember for Gill as he also smacked three tons and four fifties. But this season, he has only registered two half-centuries and was dismissed for 16 off 19 balls in his side’s previous fixture, which was also against RCB. Kohli’s funny approach could also be an indication as to why Gill was ignored by the selectors for the 15-member roster. Since suffering a bout of dengue in the early stages of the ODI World Cup last year, the opener hasn’t been the same and his captaincy with GT also needs maturity. He was handed the role after Hardik Pandya rejoined Mumbai Indians in a shock transfer prior to the auction last year. Pandya was released by MI in 2022 and joined GT, and he was made captain. He led them to the title in their debut season, followed by a runners-up finish. So, pressure was plenty on Gill, when he took up the responsibility. But he will be disappointed with himself, as GT are currently eighth in the IPL 2024 points table with eight points in 10 games. With time running out, they will be looking to bounce back to winning ways and are currently in a two-match losing streak.

‘Mumbai Indians ki kahani khatam’: What went wrong for five-time IPL champions | Cricket News

Danijones12 months ago05 mins

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians are all but out of the race to IPL 2024 playoffs. Going through one of their worst seasons in IPL history, Hardik Pandya & Co. faced their eighth defeat in 11 matches, losing to Kolkata Knight Riders by 24 runs on their home ground, Wankhede Stadium, on Friday.IPL STANDINGS: Points Table | Orange Cap | Purple Cap The defeat, which was MI’s first against KKR at the Wankhede in 12 years, once again brought Hardik ‘s captaincy in focus. “This was such a good team on paper but was not managed well. The questions that were being raised about Hardik Pandya’s captaincy were absolutely correct,” said former India pacer Irfan Pathan, analysing the game in a video on social media. KKR put up 169 on the board, thanks to a half-century by Venkatesh Iyer (70 off 52 balls) and an equally crucial 31-ball 42 by Manish Pandey, despite MI having the visitors on the ropes at 57/5 in just the seventh over.WATCH VIDEO “When you had KKR’s five wickets for just 57 runs, there was no need to give Naman Dhir three overs in a row. You should have got your main bowlers on, but you had your sixth bowler deliver three overs. That allowed Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey to put a partnership together….Where you could have bowled KKR out for 150, they went on to make 170, and that turned out to be the difference,” added Pathan, raising questions on captain Hardik’s decisions on the field. Mitchell Starc, the most expensive player in IPL history, finally did justice to his price tag with match-winning figures of 4/33 as Mumbai folded up for 145 in 18.5 overs despite Suryakumar Yadav’s 35-ball 56. Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell took two wickets each. “KKR now looks like a ‘khatarnak’ (dangerous) team after Mitchell Starc’s return to form. They had just one weak link in fast bowling, which was Mitchell Starc’s bowling. The way he bowled to Tim David must be appreciated,” analysed Irfan.The win took KKR to No. 2 on the points table with seven wins in 10 matches. Coming back to MI captaincy, which had changed hands from Rohit Sharma to Hardik before the start of this season, Irfan said MI is not playing as a unit under Hardik’s captaincy. “In cricket, captaincy has a huge effect and it’s very important to manage, which did not happen. Mumbai Indians isn’t looking like a team that is playing as a unit, and this aspect needs to be looked at going forward for Mumbai Indians. Players need to respect the captain and also accept him appreciably, this is very important. That, I think, could not be seen on the field,” the former cricketer cum commentator said. “Whatever the reason is, they have to think about it and improve.”