Indian Cricket Team’s Premier Fast Bowling All-Rounder Hardik Pandya made his highly-anticipated return to five-time winners Mumbai Indians in the 2024 Edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), rejoining the franchise that had been his home between 2015-2021 before leaving MI in favour of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022 and he even led the franchise to their maiden trophy-triumph in the same year as well.
His comeback to Mumbai as the skipper brought along big-expectations, considering the success he had as the captain of GT. However, the 2024 edition of the cash-rich T20 league proved to be a challenging one for both MI and Pandya. The team struggled to win matches on a consistent basis and finished at the bottom of the overall standings and along with these issues, the internal-structure of the franchise appeared to be unsteady.
Hardik Pandya’s lacklustre performance for MI in the 2024 Edition of the Indian Premier League
In the recently concluded 2024 season of the IPL, junior Pandya’s contribution with the bat was below par, as he managed to score a total of 216 runs in 14 encounters, with a best score of 46 runs next to his name and an embarrassing average of 18.00. His strike-rate of 143.05 suggests that he wasn’t able to make any significant contributions, with 0 fifties next to his name.
In terms of fielding, the 31-year-old took just 4 catches, indicating his minor influence on the game. Pandya dismissed 11 batters with the ball, averaging 35.18, but his economy rate of 10.75 prompted questions about his consistency. Though he struggled to live up to expectations during the season, his best bowling stats of 3-31 demonstrated glimpses of his potential.
A captaincy change on the cards for Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2025?
The franchise’s struggle to perform well in the previous season of the competition sparked discussions about whether the team-management of the Mumbai Indians should think of handing over the leadership duties to someone else.
According to some rumours, the Mumbai based team may consider handing over the captaincy reins back to former skipper Rohit Sharma, the most successful captain in the history of the tournament or potentially try a new-approach by appointing Indian Cricket Team’s newly appointed T20i skipper Suryakumar Yadav as the new captain of Mumbai Indians, who is known for his explosive-batting and captaincy potential.
Elite seamer Jasprit Bumrah, who is well-known for keeping his head cool under-pressure, is another name being discussed for the leadership post of the five-time champions.
3 important-Reasons why Hardik Pandya should continue as the skipper of the Mumbai Indians
- Regular All-Round Contributions in the Past Seasons
Junior Pandya’s performance as an all-rounder has proven to be a vital-asset, contributing with both ball and bat. In IPL 2022, the GT skipper managed to score 487 runs at a really good average of 44.27 and a decent strike-rate of 131.27.
His ability to deliver with the bat, especially when his side needed him to perform, played an important role in Gujarat Titans’ success in their debut season. Hardik also scored four fifties, showcasing his versatility as an anchor and aggressor according to the demands of the situation.
In the following season of the tournament, his batting-form continued to remain good, as he amassed 346 runs at a decent average of 31.45 and a better strike-rate of 136.75, proving his dominance and versatility in the middle-order. His match-winning contributions with the bat proved to be vital as he played a crucial role in finishing off matches for the Titans.
In terms of bowling, he played an important role in leading Gujarat’s bowling-unit, dismissing eight batters in 2022 but in IPL 2023, he picked up just three scalps which was not a typical Hardik Pandya performance. He maintained a consistent economy rate of nine in both the seasons of the tournament and his disciplined bowling-displays in crunch-situations allowed the Gujarat Titans to get crucial breakthroughs and keep the scoring rate of the opposition teams in check.
The 31-year-old’s ability to perform in both roles as a skipper and a dependable all-rounder, is a perfect fit for the leadership role. The Mumbai Indians would gain a lot from his consistency and ability to change games with the bat and the ball.
- Robust Legacy for the Mumbai Indians and an extensive experience in the IPL
Before plying his trade for the Gujarat Titans, Hardik had established a distinguished career with MI, participating in their supremacy from 2015 to 2021. Pandya was a vital component of MI’s core during this time, helping them lift four IPL titles. He frequently finished games for the franchise with his fiery hitting down the order throughout those six-seasons, amassing 1476 runs at an excellent strike-rate of 153.95. One of the league’s most deadly lower-order batters, he could clear boundaries whenever he wanted.
With the ball, the elite all-rounder managed to pick up 42 wickets for the five-time winners, frequently stepping up in crucial-situations, whether they were in the middle overs or the death-overs. His track record of winning matches and his experience with the Mumbai Indians franchise indicate that he can easily step up in the MI-system as a skipper with ease. He has a winning mentality and an understanding of the Mumbai Indians culture which can be matched by very few players.
His recent leadership-glory with the Titans has improved his captaincy skills, game-awareness and player-management skills, making his case of continuing as the skipper of MI even stronger.
His familiarity with the setup of the Mumbai based team combined with his high captaincy experience, will allow him to guide MI back to their glory days with a brand-new perspective and aggressive-captaincy style.
1 . Proven Captaincy skills with the experience of leading India and winning multiple IPL titles
Junior Pandya has a proven track-record of captaincy and his excellent leadership and tactical-skills were evident during his time with the Gujarat Titans. In the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, the 31-year-old led the new franchise to their maiden IPL title glory in their debut-season in the cash-rich T20 league, an achievement which conveyed a significant message about his skills to lead a team under significant-pressure.
Under his leadership, the 2022 winners secured victories in 10 games out of 14 and also dominated the playoff encounters. In the following season, Hardik’s captaincy took the Titans to the finals once again, which cemented his legacy as one of the most-successful captains in the IPl in recent-years.
His calm and cool nature on the field, coupled with his elite understanding of the game, helped Gujarat win 10 matches out of 14 once again but they finished as the runners-up, losing to MS Dhoni-led CSK in the final.
He has led the Indian Cricket Team in the past as well, captaining the Men in Blue in 16 20-20 International Matches and out of these 16 games, he has won 10 games as a captain and has registered five defeats.
These stats just go on to show how capable Hardik Pandya is as a skipper and despite having a difficult season with MI as their skipper, the team-management should give him a long rope and should not replace him as the captain of the Mumbai Indians.
Also Read: IPL 2025: Players Mumbai Indians might retain for IPL 2025
