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.
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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.
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