NEW DELHI: Newly-appointed Mumbai Indians skipper
Hardik Pandya
on Monday expressed a "surreal feeling" as he reached the milestone of playing
100 games
for the franchise.
The all-rounder's journey with the franchise has been filled with memorable moments and contributions to their success. Hardik was named as MI captain after being traded from Gujarat Titans and replaced Rohit Sharma ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.
"It's a very surreal feeling to play the 100th game for the franchise, started my journey with MI, I'm very grateful," Hardik said after winning the toss and opting to bat against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.
MI made three changes to their playing XI with Romario Shepherd, Akash Madhwal and Shreyas Gopal making way for Nuwan Thushara, Nehal Wadhera and veteran Piyush Chawla.
"We are gonna bat first, looks like a good wicket, we didn't see dew in the last couple of days hence the decision to bat first. We got three changes - Nuwan, Wadhera and Piyush Chawla come in. Shepherd, Madhwal, and Shreyas Gopal go out," Hardik added.
Sandeep Sharma made a return to the playing XI for Rajasthan Royals, replacing Kuldeep Sen. The top-placed Royals, with 12 points, aim to solidify their position in the IPL points table.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians, positioned seventh with six points from seven matches, must elevate their performance. In their prior encounter this season, Rajasthan Royals clinched victory over Mumbai Indians by six wickets in Mumbai.
This match marks Rajasthan Royals' final fixture at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium for the season. As they bid farewell to their home ground, the Royals strive to conclude their home matches on a high note.
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