Hardik Pandya’s bad captaincy leads to MI’s consecutive failures in IPL. The Mumbai Indians, captained by Hardik Pandya, faced a crushing loss against the SunRisers Hyderabad, marking their second consecutive defeat under Pandya’s leadership.
The match, held on Wednesday, witnessed an extraordinary display of power-hitting by SRH, resulting in the highest-ever score in IPL history.
Hardik Pandya’s bad captaincy
Pathan Criticizes Pandya’s Captaincy
Former Indian cricket star Irfan Pathan raised concerns about Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, particularly his handling of premier bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
Pathan’s criticism stemmed from Pandya’s delayed decision to introduce Bumrah into the bowling attack during SRH’s relentless onslaught.
“The captaincy of Hardik Pandya has been ordinary to say the least. Keeping Bumrah away for too long when the carnage was on was beyond my understanding,” Pathan wrote on X.
The captaincy of Hardik Pandya has been ordinary to say the least. Keeping Bumrah away for too long when the carnage was on was beyond my understanding.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) March 27, 2024
“Who would have thought a record score of IPL would be against MI. Crazy hitting from SRH. #SRHvMI,” he wrote in another post.
Social Media Reacts to Record-breaking Performance
Pathan took to social media to express his disappointment, questioning Pandya’s decision-making on the field.
Additionally, he took a swipe at Pandya’s batting performance, emphasizing the need for higher strike rates, especially in the face of formidable targets.
SRH Rewrite IPL History with Monumental Total
Talking about the match, records tumbled left-right and centre as Sunrisers Hyderabad smashed 277 for three, the highest total in IPL history, to leave Mumbai Indians shell shocked on Wednesday.
Travis Head (62 off 24) and Abhishek Sharma (63 off 23) came up with a sensational display of power-hitting, that saw the latter snatching the franchise record for fastest fifty from the Australian within minutes.
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Heinrich Klaasen (80 not out off 34 balls) provided the fireworks in the end to help SRH break an 11-year-old record.
The previous highest total in IPL was 263 for five achieved by Royal Challengers Bangalore back in 2013.
Mumbai Indians Bowlers Fail to Stem the Tide
Despite efforts from Mumbai Indians’ bowlers, including the young South African pacer Kwena Maphaka, SRH’s batsmen dominated proceedings.
Maphaka, in particular, faced a nightmarish debut, conceding a significant number of runs in his allotted overs.
Delayed Introduction of Bumrah Raises Eyebrows
Pandya’s decision to delay Jasprit Bumrah’s entry into the bowling attack until the latter stages of the innings came under scrutiny.
Critics questioned the rationale behind holding back one of the team’s premier bowlers during such a crucial phase of the match.
Klaasen’s Explosive Innings Seals the Deal for SRH
Following the dismissals of Head and Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen took center stage, continuing SRH’s onslaught with a breathtaking display of power-hitting.
His innings, characterized by a flurry of sixes, ensured there was no respite for the Mumbai Indians as SRH cruised to victory.
