NEW DELHI: Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium witnessed an electrifying showdown between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in a high-scoring thriller in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Despite a remarkable attempt at chasing down 247, Mumbai Indians faced defeat, sparking criticism from former Indian all-rounders
Irfan Pathan
and
Yusuf Pathan
towards the visitors' captain,
Hardik Pandya
.
Former Indian all-rounders Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan voiced their concerns over Mumbai Indians' captaincy approaches, targeting Pandya for criticism. Irfan questioned Pandya's batting strike rate, while Yusuf found fault in the decision to keep the spinners' overs, with both Piyush Chawla and Shams Mulani bowling two overs each.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Irfan expressed, "If the whole team is playing with the strike of 200, Captain can’tbat with the batting strike rate of 120," highlighting the importance of leadership performance matching the team's standards.
Meanwhile, Yusuf remarked, "Can't understand the strategy behind the skipper keeping a spinner to bowl last over," indicating tactical lapses in Pandya's captaincy approach.
Sunrisers Hyderabad set the stage on fire with a flamboyant batting display, led by half-centuries from
Travis Head
(62),
Abhishek Sharma
(63), and
Heinrich Klaasen
(80), posting a daunting total of 246 runs after winning the toss and opting to bat first on Wednesday evening.
In response, Mumbai Indians showcased resilience, with standout performances from several players, including Tilak Verma, who scored 64 off 34 balls. However, their chase fell short by 31 runs, leaving the team with the second consecutive defeat in the
IPL 2024
season.
Pandya, who took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma, has been under scrutiny for his leadership decisions and performance with the bat. Despite his efforts, amassing 24 runs off 20 balls, Pandya's struggles were evident, raising questions about his effectiveness as a captain in high-pressure situations.
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