Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya's new role at old franchise adds spice to MI vs GT clash
Sunday night's blockbuster game has plenty of interesting subplots to keep an eye on
One hug, within a 11-second video from the official handle of the franchise, was enough to send social media into a frenzy. Those few meet-and-greet seconds between Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma can be interpreted in any way one might want, but it showcased the heightened spotlight that Mumbai Indians (MI) will carry in this IPL season.
Another round of hugs came a few days later, this time between Pandya and his ex-Gujarat Titans (GT) colleagues. That video is much longer and arguably packed with more emotions, but Pandya beginning his captaincy stint for MI against his former team in Ahmedabad on Sunday adds a layer of intrigue to the storyline.
Captaincy changes in the IPL aren’t new — indeed, Chennai Super Kings announced their new skipper a day before the season opener — but this one has extra spice. Rohit, the current India captain and skipper-designate for the T20 World Cup, was replaced by MI with Pandya three months ago. Rohit, an out-and-out Mumbaikar, led the franchise to five IPL titles but the last one came in 2020. Pandya, a Mumbai Indians make who found a new home in a new franchise, led GT to the title in their debut season and a runner-up finish last year.
It's at the same Narendra Modi Stadium that hosted last year's final where Pandya will look to turn a fresh chapter as a leader amid all the chatter. It’s also where young Shubman Gill, asked to step up to the leadership role with Pandya moving away, will begin his journey for a young franchise whose success ratio has been exceptional so far.
It will be interesting to see how Gill goes about his batting at the top with the C next to his name. And how Rohit goes about his without it. Early indications of both would come on Sunday, and MI will hope to see the best and most menacing version of Rohit the batter again. Gill had a top of the pile 890-run IPL 2023, and his breathtaking 60-ball 129 made the difference when GT last played MI in the second qualifier to storm into the title clash.
Subplots to this clash feature the probable return of Ishan Kishan, who has been through a whirlwind few months having skipped a whole lot of red-ball cricket while losing his BCCI central contract. He did play a T20 club tournament in Navi Mumbai earlier this month, where Pandya also marked his comeback after his ODI World Cup injury last year.
The new MI skipper’s playing role will be in as much focus. For GT, he chose to bat higher up the order but for MI this season — and with the World Cup looming — he's set to drop back down to the finisher’s role. “I will be the all-rounder who will try to finish as many games as possible," Pandya said at the MI pre-season press conference.
Injury concerns
Captaincy changes aside, both teams have pretty much retained their core from last year. And both teams have had to grapple with injury concerns. GT will be without Mohammed Shami, last year’s top wicket-taker who was their go-to bowler in crunch situations. That’s a big hole to fill and GT will hope someone among their Indian pace stock — Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Kartik Tyagi — steps up.
MI have similar worries in their bowling arsenal. It was bolstered by the addition of Sri Lankan pacer Dilshan Madushanka and South African tearaway Gerald Coetzee in the auction. However, the former has already been ruled out of the IPL alongside Jason Behrendorff, the experienced Australian left-arm fast bowler, while Coetzee too is coming off a lengthy injury layoff. There’s also no Cameron Green — traded to Royal Challengers Bangalore for Pandya — to summon for a couple of overs. Suryakumar Yadav, recovering from an ankle surgery, is also unlikely to be around on Sunday, with Tilak Varma saying in the pre-match press conference, “I’m also waiting for him to come back soon”.
That’s plenty for Pandya, the new MI skipper, to ponder upon.
