LSG vs MI: "Why the hell did I come to Mumbai Indians" - Hardik Pandya defended by ex-Gujarat Titans teammate

Hardik Pandya's return to Mumbai Indians has been an absolute disaster so far. After plying his trade for Mumbai Indians from 2015 to 2021, the India allrounder played for Gujarat Titans in the last two seasons of the IPL.

At Gujarat Titans, he impressed not only as an allrounder but also with his captaincy. He scored 487 and 346 runs in two seasons with the Gujarat-based outfit in addition to picking up 11 wickets. Under his captaincy, Gujarat Titans won the IPL in their maidens season in 2022 before qualifying for the final in 2023.

Even after those two highly successful seasons, Hardik Pandya agreed to a sensational return to Mumbai Indians and was made the captain of the team. He replaced Rohit Sharma who led the team from 2013 to 2023. And while expectations were sky high from the new Mumbai Indians captain, he has failed to make any impact so far.

The five-time IPL champions have managed to win just three of their nine league games so far. They are currently languishing at the bottom of the points table and their chances of making it to the playoffs is hanging by a thread. Hardik Pandya has also been constantly targeted by the fans who are unhappy over Rohit Sharma's unceremonious sacking.

Hardik Pandya backed by his former teammate:

With not much going Hardik Pandya's way in the ongoing IPL 2024, he has received some much-needed support from his former Gujarat Titans teammate Varun Aaron. Speaking on Star Sports, the former India pacer picked the under-pressure cricketer over Shivam Dube as India's main allrounder for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Calling Hardik Pandya a proven match-winner, Aaron pointed out that his ex-IPL captain is under a lot of pressure before saying that the India star must be ruing his decision to leave Gujarat Titans for Mumbai Indians.

"Hardik for sure. Hardik is a proven match winner. I know he is not at his best at the moment. There is so much noise around the Mumbai Indians camp. He is taking on a lot of pressure.

"No matter what happens, he must be thinking, man .. I was winning trophies in GT (Gujarat Titans). I was the captain. We came runners-up. Why the hell did I come here! (laughs). Because it's a lot of pressure. And I would say it's needless pressure because you were doing well, you were setting up your legacy at the Gujarat Titans," said Aaron.

"But then he has come to Mumbai Indians and I understand why because he loves Mumbai. He loves Mumbai Indians. They gave him the initial platform and he has gone on to conquer a lot in world cricket through that. But you gotta see he had a really really good run at the Titans. So, I think once you remove him from that pressure kind-of spot, he will shine," Aaron added.

Hardik 🤜🏻🤛🏻 Shivam@VarunAaron picks his choice of all-rounder for the #T20WorldCup ahead as he joins the debate in who amongst @hardikpandya7 or #ShivamDube should make it to the Indian squad!

Catch the full episode here 👉 https://t.co/OytLuftZFw

Want our #IncredibleStarcast… pic.twitter.com/iPAVYlHW5t

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 29, 2024

Hardik Pandya in IPL 2024:

Hardik Pandya has not only struggled as a captain this season but has failed to make much of a difference with either bat or ball. In nine games so far, he has managed to score a modest 197 runs at an average of less than 25.

His performance with the ball has also raised a number of eyebrows. The right-arm pacer has managed to take only 4 wickets and has conceded almost 12 runs per over.

Read More: 

• IPL 2024 Points Table