Hardik Pandya is scared of bowling the death overs: Ex-BCCI selector gives reality check amid IPL 2026
COMPLETED / Match 33 / Wankhede Stadium
104/10 (19 ov)
207/6 (20 ov)
Chennai Super Kings won by 103 runs
| Batting | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashwani Kumar | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16.67 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECO |
| Gurjapneet Singh | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3.50 |
| Anshul Kamboj | 3 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 3.33 |
Key Stats
- Partnership: 4 run (1.5 ov): Jasprit Bumrah: 2 (5), Ashwani Kumar: 1 (6)
- Last Bat: Jasprit Bumrah 2(5) - c S Samson b G Singh Gurjapneet Singh
- Fall of Wickets: 7 - 1 Danish Malewar, 7 - 2 Quinton de Kock, 11 - 3 Naman Dhir, 84 - 4 Tilak Varma, 85 - 5 Hardik Pandya, 85 - 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 87 - 7 Suryakumar Yadav, 100 - 8 Krish Bhagat, 100 - 9 Shardul Thakur, 104 - 10 Jasprit Bumrah
- Reviews Remaining: Mumbai Indians - 2 of 2, Chennai Super Kings - 2 of 2
- Toss: Mumbai Indians elected to bowl
| Batting | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanju Samson Not out | 101 | 54 | 10 | 6 | 187.04 |
Ruturaj Gaikwad
c TL Varma b AM Ghazanfar
|
22 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 157.14 |
|
Sarfaraz Khan
b M Santner
|
14 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 175.00 |
|
Shivam Dube
b AM Ghazanfar
|
5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 62.50 |
|
Dewald Brevis
c J Bumrah b A Kumar
|
21 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 190.91 |
|
Karthik Sharma
c M Santner b J Bumrah
|
18 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 94.74 |
|
Jamie Overton
c Naman Dhir b A Kumar
|
15 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 214.29 |
| Akeal Hosein Not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
-
Extras: 9 ( b 0, lb 1, w 5, nb 3, p 0)
-
Did Not Batting : Noor Ahmad , Anshul Kamboj , Gurjapneet Singh , Mukesh Choudhary
-
Fall of wickets :32 - 1 ( Ruturaj Gaikwad , 2.6 ov ) ,72 - 2 ( Sarfaraz Khan , 5.4 ov ) ,91 - 3 ( Shivam Dube , 8.1 ov ) ,122 - 4 ( Dewald Brevis , 10.6 ov ) ,165 - 5 ( Karthik Sharma , 16.5 ov ) ,181 - 6 ( Jamie Overton , 17.6 ov )
| Bowling | O | R | W | ECO | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasprit Bumrah | 4 | 31 | 1 | 7.75 | 10 |
| Hardik Pandya | 2 | 38 | 0 | 19.00 | 4 |
| Allah Ghazanfar | 4 | 25 | 2 | 6.25 | 7 |
| Mitchell Santner | 4 | 44 | 1 | 11.00 | 8 |
| Ashwani Kumar | 4 | 37 | 2 | 9.25 | 8 |
| Krish Bhagat | 2 | 31 | 0 | 15.50 | 5 |
| Batting | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Quinton de Kock
b M Choudhary
|
7 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 70.00 |
|
Danish Malewar
c S Samson b AJ Hosein
|
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
Naman Dhir
b AJ Hosein
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
Suryakumar Yadav
c S Khan b AJ Hosein
|
36 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 120.00 |
|
Tilak Varma
b AJ Hosein
|
37 | 29 | 5 | 0 | 127.59 |
|
Hardik Pandya
c M Choudhary b N Ahmad
|
1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
|
Sherfane Rutherford
c A Kamboj b N Ahmad
|
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
Shardul Thakur
c D Brevis b A Kamboj
|
6 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
|
Krish Bhagat
c G Singh b J Overton
|
7 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 46.67 |
| Ashwani Kumar Not out | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16.67 |
|
Jasprit Bumrah
c S Samson b G Singh
|
2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 40.00 |
-
Extras: 7 ( b 0, lb 1, w 6, nb 0, p 0)
-
Did Not Batting : Mitchell Santner
-
Fall of wickets :7 - 1 ( Danish Malewar , 0.6 ov ) ,7 - 2 ( Quinton de Kock , 1.5 ov ) ,11 - 3 ( Naman Dhir , 2.3 ov ) ,84 - 4 ( Tilak Varma , 11.5 ov ) ,85 - 5 ( Hardik Pandya , 12.1 ov ) ,85 - 6 ( Sherfane Rutherford , 12.2 ov ) ,87 - 7 ( Suryakumar Yadav , 13.1 ov ) ,100 - 8 ( Krish Bhagat , 16.6 ov ) ,100 - 9 ( Shardul Thakur , 17.1 ov ) ,104 - 10 ( Jasprit Bumrah , 18.6 ov )
| Bowling | O | R | W | ECO | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akeal Hosein | 4 | 17 | 4 | 4.25 | 14 |
| Mukesh Choudhary | 4 | 31 | 1 | 7.75 | 11 |
| Anshul Kamboj | 3 | 10 | 1 | 3.33 | 12 |
| Noor Ahmad | 4 | 24 | 2 | 6.00 | 9 |
| Jamie Overton | 2 | 14 | 1 | 7.00 | 5 |
| Gurjapneet Singh | 2 | 7 | 1 | 3.50 | 6 |
-
Quinton de Kock Wicket-Keeper -
Naman Dhir Batter
-
Suryakumar Yadav Batter
-
Tilak Varma Batter
-
Hardik Pandya (C) All Rounder
-
Sherfane Rutherford Batter
-
Mitchell Santner All Rounder
-
Krish Bhagat Bowler
-
Jasprit Bumrah Bowler
-
Allah Ghazanfar Bowler
-
Ashwani Kumar Bowler
-
Sanju Samson Wicket-Keeper
-
Ruturaj Gaikwad (C) Batter
-
Sarfaraz Khan Batter
-
Dewald Brevis Batter
-
Shivam Dube All Rounder
-
Karthik Sharma Batter
-
Jamie Overton All Rounder
-
Anshul Kamboj Bowler
-
Noor Ahmad Bowler
-
Mukesh Choudhary Bowler
-
Gurjapneet Singh Bowler
-
Danish Malewar Batter
-
Shardul Thakur Bowler
-
Robin Minz Wicket-Keeper
-
Ryan Rickelton Wicket-Keeper
-
Rohit Sharma Batter
-
Corbin Bosch All Rounder
-
Atharva Ankolekar All Rounder
-
Raj Bawa All Rounder
-
Will Jacks All Rounder
-
Mayank Rawat All Rounder
-
Deepak Chahar Bowler
-
Raghu Sharma Bowler
-
Trent Boult Bowler
-
Mayank Markande Bowler
-
Mohd Izhar Bowler
-
MS Dhoni Wicket-Keeper
-
Matthew Short All Rounder
-
Urvil Patel Wicket-Keeper
-
Ayush Mhatre Batter
-
Prashant Veer All Rounder
-
Aman Hakim Khan All Rounder
-
Zakary Foulkes All Rounder
-
Shreyas Gopal Bowler
-
Ramakrishna Ghosh All Rounder
-
Khaleel Ahmed Bowler
-
Akeal Hosein Bowler
-
Rahul Chahar Bowler
-
Matt Henry Bowler
-
Spencer Johnson Bowler
-
Akash Madhwal Bowler
Commentary
Table of Contents
Former India opener and 1983 World Cup winner Krisnamachari Srikkanth took to his YouTube channel and said that Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya was scared of putting in the hard yards. Srikkanth criticised Pandya's bowling changes in MI's clash against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
After conceding 38 runs in his two overs in the powerplay, Pandya did not bring himself on to bowl for the rest of the innings. Instead, he entrusted the responsibility of bowling two overs in the death overs to rookie pacer Krish Bhagat. Bhagat bowled the 16th and the 20th over of the innings, conceding 31 runs in his two overs. The 16-run last over helped CSK put up a total of 207/6 and register a 103-run win.
"Hardik Pandya got it wrong" - Kris Srikkanth
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the match, Srikkanth criticised Hardik Pandya's decision to bowl first after winning the toss as well.
"A player who has bowled the death overs in the T20 World Cup is scared of bowling the same here. MI's problem starts here only. This is why you should bat first after winning the toss. You at least have a chance of single-handed heroics, like Tilak Varma in the last match or Sanju Samson today. Hardik Pandya got that also wrong," he said.
"It was 'dubba' captaincy" - Kris Srikkanth
Srikkanth further laid into Pandya by calling his decision-making and his captaincy 'dubba' - a term used to describe bad or inferior things.
Srikkanth criticised the decision to bowl first, pointing to MI's lack of success while chasing this season. He also termed Pandya a 'run-feeder'.
"It was dubba captaincy by Hardik Pandya. He should have batted first after winning the toss. Except for the KKR match, they've always lost, always chasing. Then, you are a main bowler who has bowled the death overs in T20 World Cups. Yet, you are not coming to bowl and letting that boy Krish Bhagat bowl the last two overs. Hardik has become a run-feeder. He's also struggling to lay bat on ball with the bat," he continued.
Also Read: Mumbai Indians qualification scenario after loss to CSK in IPL 2026
Hardik Pandya has not been in form with bat, or ball in IPL 2026. In 6 matches, he has made just 97 runs while picking 3 wickets at an economy rate of 12.67.
"He has lost confidence with bat, ball, and as a skipper" - Srikkanth
The Mumbai Indians are now eighth on the points table with just 2 wins in 7 matches. Their playoff qualification chances have taken a severe hit amid this dismal run and now they find themselves faced with an uphill battle.
Srikkanth concluded his admonishment by saying that MI's lean run has affected Pandya's confidence in his team and his abilities.
"How are you giving a youngster playing only his second match the ball in the death overs? It was 4 overs, 69 runs between Hardik and Bhagat. That was the biggest difference. Krish Bhagat should be pushed for two overs in the middle of the innings. MI were finished there itself. They have no idea what to do with their 11. Hardik Pandya has lost confidence as a batter, bowler, and captain."
About the Author
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Noor Ahmad to Krish Bhagat, no run, Dot Ball !! legbreak, full length, on the off stump, and Krish Bhagat hangs on and tries to hit cut, but misses it completely as ball beats the bat, goes to the keeper.
End of over 15 (4 runs)
Gurjapneet Singh to Shardul Thakur, no run, Dot Ball !! fast ball, back of length, on the stumps, and Shardul Thakur hangs on and tries to hit cut, but misses it completely as ball beats the bat, goes to the keeper.
Gurjapneet Singh to Shardul Thakur, 1 run, Shardul Thakur hangs in the crease and plays a well-timed flick shot off an fast ball delivers at a good length by the bowler, but the ball lands safely in the hands of the fielder at deep square leg for 1 run.
Gurjapneet Singh to Krish Bhagat, 2 runs, Krish Bhagat hangs in the crease and plays hook off an bouncer delivers at a back of length by the bowler, edged!! and the ball lands safely in the hands of the fielder at third man for 2 runs.
Gurjapneet Singh to Krish Bhagat, 1 run, Krish Bhagat hangs in the crease and plays a well-timed drive off an fast ball delivers at a good length by the bowler, but the ball lands safely in the hands of the fielder at deep point for 1 run.
Gurjapneet Singh to Shardul Thakur, 1 run, Shardul Thakur hangs in the crease and plays a well-timed cut off an fast ball delivers at a back of length by the bowler, but the ball lands safely in the hands of the fielder at short cover for 1 run.
Gurjapneet Singh to Krish Bhagat, no run, Dot Ball !! fast ball, good length, on the off stump, and Krish Bhagat hangs on and tries to hit cut, but misses it completely as ball beats the bat, goes to the keeper.
End of over 16 (5 runs)
Jamie Overton to Shardul Thakur, no run, Dot ball !! fast ball, full length, on the stumps, Shardul Thakur hangs in the crease, dabs defensive shot with soft hands toward short mid wicket, but the fielder is quick to react, thwarts the ball.
Jamie Overton to Shardul Thakur, 1 run, An accurately pitched fast ball on the stumps, Shardul Thakur hangs in the crease to make a confident flick shot, sending the ball towards short fine leg for 1 run.
Jamie Overton to Krish Bhagat, no run, Dot ball !! fast ball, good length, on the off stump, Krish Bhagat hangs in the crease, tucks defensive shot toward the fielder at mid off, who halts the ball.
Jamie Overton to Krish Bhagat, no run, Dot ball !! bouncer, back of length, on the stumps, Jamie Overton sends down a sharp delivery, Krish Bhagat hangs in the crease to defend it, but mistimes the shot, beats the bat, leaving the batter confused.
Jamie Overton to Krish Bhagat, no run, Dot ball !! fast ball, good length, on the off stump, Krish Bhagat hangs in the crease and slash push towards point, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away.
Krish Bhagat c G Singh b J Overton 7 (15) Jamie Overton to Krish Bhagat, no run, c G Singh b J Overton, Caught out !! fast ball, good length, on the stumps, Krish Bhagat goes back, takes a big risk by attempting pull towards deep fine leg, but unfortunately, the ball flies towards Gurjapneet Singh, who displays excellent fielding skills to complete the catch, resulting in the dismissal of Krish Bhagat.
End of over 17 (1 runs)
Shardul Thakur c D Brevis b A Kamboj 6 (12) Anshul Kamboj to Shardul Thakur, no run, c D Brevis b A Kamboj, Caught out !! fast ball, good length, on the off stump, Shardul Thakur hangs in the crease, takes a big risk by attempting drive towards long on, but unfortunately, the ball flies towards Dewald Brevis, who displays excellent fielding skills to complete the catch, resulting in the dismissal of Shardul Thakur.
Anshul Kamboj to Jasprit Bumrah, 1 wide, fast ball, short length, on the stumps, An attempted bouncer misses the mark and sails high over Jasprit Bumrah's head, Umpire Calls it a wide.
Anshul Kamboj to Jasprit Bumrah, 1 run, Jasprit Bumrah hangs in the crease and plays a well-timed flick shot off an fast ball delivers at a full length by the bowler, but the ball lands safely in the hands of the fielder at short mid wicket for 1 run.
Anshul Kamboj to Ashwani Kumar, no run, Dot ball !! bouncer, short length, on the off stump, Ashwani Kumar hangs in the crease, trying to hit pull, but the ball shapes away late, beats the bat.
Anshul Kamboj to Ashwani Kumar, no run, Dot ball !! fast ball, full length, on the off stump, Ashwani Kumar hangs in the crease, dabs defensive shot with soft hands toward mid off, but the fielder is quick to react, thwarts the ball.
Anshul Kamboj to Ashwani Kumar, no run, Dot ball !! fast ball, full length, on the stumps, Ashwani Kumar hangs in the crease and dabs pull, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away.
Anshul Kamboj to Ashwani Kumar, no run, Dot Ball !! fast ball, yorker, on the off stump, and Ashwani Kumar hangs on and tries to hit cut, but misses it completely as ball beats the bat, goes to the keeper.
End of over 18 (2 runs)
Gurjapneet Singh to Jasprit Bumrah, no run, Dot ball !! fast ball, full length, on the stumps, Jasprit Bumrah hangs in the crease and dabs defensive shot with soft hands, but the fielder is quick to react and thwarts the ball.
Gurjapneet Singh to Jasprit Bumrah, 1 run, Jasprit Bumrah hangs in the crease to take fast ball of good length aimed on the off stump, executing a confident push that sent the ball sailing towards third man for 1 run.
Gurjapneet Singh to Ashwani Kumar, no run, Dot ball !! fast ball, full length, on the off stump, Ashwani Kumar hangs in the crease and slash drive towards mid off, but the fielder reacts promptly and blocks it right away.
Gurjapneet Singh to Ashwani Kumar, 1 run, An accurately pitched fast ball on the stumps, Ashwani Kumar hangs in the crease to make a confident flick shot, sending the ball towards mid on for 1 run.
Gurjapneet Singh to Jasprit Bumrah, no run, Dot ball !! fast ball, fulltoss, on the off stump, Jasprit Bumrah hangs in the crease, dabs it towards mid off, but the fielder reacts promptly, and makes a brilliant stop.
Jasprit Bumrah c S Samson b G Singh 2 (5) Gurjapneet Singh to Jasprit Bumrah, no run, c S Samson b G Singh, Caught out !! fast ball, good length, on the off stump, Jasprit Bumrah hangs in the crease to try a high-risk cut, edged!! and the ball finds safe hands of Sanju Samson, who makes no mistake in taking the catch, and Jasprit Bumrah is out.
End of over 19 (2 runs)