Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan expressed criticism of Hardik Pandya’s captaincy following the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) match against Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Pathan pointed out that Pandya, at 30 years old, made several errors in his leadership during the game.
The team mumbai Indians that qualified last year didn’t had Jasprit Bumrah but this season they had his services. Still they are in this situation. Purely because the team wasn’t managed well on the ground. Too many mistakes by their captain Hardik Pandya. It’s the truth.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 30, 2024
In addition to his captaincy, Pandya also struggled with the bat, getting out for a golden duck in the sixth over to Naveen-ul-Haq. Despite this setback, he managed to contribute with the ball, taking two wickets over four overs while conceding 26 runs, maintaining an economy rate of 6.50.
Reflecting on the broader implications of these errors for the team, Pathan compared the current season to the last on his official X (formerly Twitter) account. He noted that even without Jasprit Bumrah in the IPL 2023, MI had managed to qualify for the playoffs.
“The team Mumbai Indians that qualified last year didn’t have Jasprit Bumrah, but this season they had his services. Still, they are in this situation. Purely because the team wasn’t managed well on the ground. Too many mistakes by their captain Hardik Pandya. It’s the truth,” Pathan remarked, highlighting the impact of Pandya’s leadership on the team’s performance.
