Sunil Gavaskar castigated Hardik Pandya over his ordinary bowling and captaincy in Mumbai Indians' blockbuster clash with Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. Facing the wrath of jeering fans in the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League, MI skipper Hardik has failed to fire as an all-rounder this season.

After succeeding local hero Rohit Sharma, Hardik has guided the five-time winners to just two wins in six games. On Thursday, Hardik and Co. will meet Shikhar Dhawan's Punjab Kings in match No.33 of the IPL 2024 at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium. Speaking ahead of the IPL 2024 match between MI and PBKS, former Australian skipper Aaron Finch demanded form and consistency from skipper Pandya.

Hardik needs to find some form and consistency

Sharing his views on how MI can end their winless run, Finch also pointed out that the Mumbai Paltan are too reliant on premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah. “First and foremost, I think the captain needs to find some form and consistency with bat and ball. We've seen him bowl in some games and not in others, so ideally, some form with both bat and ball. I think that will go a long way. Additionally, their bowling outside of Jasprit Bumrah has lacked depth of quality and consistency,” Finch told Star Sports.

What happened in IPL Clasico?

After CSK's win over MI in the IPL Clasico, legendary West Indies cricketer Brian Lara asserted that Bumrah needs more support from his teammates. Bumrah had a forgetful outing against CSK as the MI pacer failed to take a single wicket against the MS Dhoni-starrer side. Bumrah bowled four overs and leaked 27 runs. MI skipper Hardik was hammered for 43 runs in his three overs.

Pandya under fire from MI fans

Booed and heckled by fans after becoming MI's leader, Hardik conceded 26 runs in the final over. CSK icon Dhoni smashed three sixes in Pandya's final over to help Chennai Super Kings post the match-winning total at the Wankhede. Leading the batting charge of the Mumbai Indians, former skipper Rohit played a fighting knock of 105* off 63 balls in the IPL Clasico. Rohit's sublime century lifted MI to 186-6 as Hardik and Co. lost the match by 20 runs.

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