After MI lost to KKR on Friday, May 3, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan went on a shocking tirade against the team’s captain, Hardik Pandya. At the Wankhede Stadium, MI was bowled out for just 145 runs in the second inning after failing to score 170 runs. After the match, Pathan chastised Hardik Pandya for his leadership skills and attacked the MI captain for letting go of the game.
After the game, Pathan posted on his Instagram page that KKR was down 57/5 in the seventh over of the match and that MI did not need to bowl three overs of Naman Dhir. According to Pathan, MI could have easily kept KKR to 150 runs, but by allowing 20 additional runs, they let the match to slip away.
In the IPL 2024, the Mumbai Indians’ story comes to an end. On paper, they were a highly strong squad, but their management has been lacking. Concerns over Hardik Pandya’s leadership are entirely legitimate. You bowled three of Naman Dhir’s bowlers today when KKR was 57/5. After you dismissed your sixth bowler, Manish Pandey and Venkatesh Iyer established a vital partnership for KKR. The crucial difference was the 83-run partnership that lifted KKR to 170 when they should have only reached 150, according to Irfan Pathan’s Instagram post.
In cricket, Pathan contended, a captain’s worth was significant, and the main conversation of the season for MI was that the players had most likely not come to terms with the change in command. Pathan suggested that MI’s lack of cohesive play may be a sign that certain factions were beginning to emerge within the squad.
The main talking point of the season for MI is that they are currently not playing as a team, which is important in the game of cricket when management and captaincy are key. It’s critical that the players embrace their captain, and I don’t believe MI has done so this season,” Pathan continued.
Just before MI’s KKR encounter, Australia’s Michael Clarke also made a similar case.
Yes, I’m not sure if they’ll advance to the postseason. This entire IPL, I believe that Mumbai is dreaming. “I think there’s a lot more going on than what we are seeing on the outside, and you can’t have that many good players and perform this inconsistently,” Clarke had stated on Star Sports.
“So, I think there are different groups inside that changing room and something is not working, they are not gelling together, they are not playing as a team,” he went on to say.
Currently with 6 points from 11 games, MI is ranked 9th in the league rankings.
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