Tim David angry with Hardik Pandya? Australian all-rounder's ballistic missiles go viral after Mumbai's loss to SRH

Mumbai Indians’ Australia-based batsman Tim David came out in defense of skipper Hardik Pandya and team management’s bowling strategy which saw them concede 277 runs last night. It was a night to forget for the MI bowlers, as everyone, except Jasprit Bumrah, had an economy rate of more than 10 an over. In their response of trying to chase down the biggest-ever IPL total, Mumbai was restricted to 246 with the Sunrisers Hyderabad claiming the victory by 31 runs.

There were a lot of controversial decisions taken by skipper Hardik Pandya but the one that was the root cause behind SRH’s surge was not letting Jasprit Bumrah bowl in the powerplay. After Mayank Agarwal’s early departure, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma caused carnage in the middle of the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. The duo thrashed the MI bowling line-up and had almost every answer to the questions that were asked.

And in that situation, Jasprit Bumrah who should have bowled at least 2-3 overs in the first 10 overs, was given only one by Pandya. That changed the entire course of the game as other bowlers like Coetzee, Maphaka, Piyush Chawla, Pandya, and Shams Mulani conceded more than 10 runs every over. But all that, according to Tim David, was part of the plan.

Tim David says Jasprit Bumrah might bowl with the new ball in upcoming matches

While speaking in the press conference after MI failed to pick up their first victory of the season, Tim David defended MI’s decision to have Hardik Pandya bowl with the new ball. David, who scored 42 off 22 last night, stated that it was a pre-meditated plan and that Jasprit Bumrah is someone who can cause an impact for MI at every stage of the match.

Tim David then claimed that in the upcoming matches, people will see Jasprit Bumrah bowl the first over but remain tightlipped about when that will happen. David concluded by saying that he doesn’t make any decisions and that it’s hard for him to comment on that matter.

“There’s obviously planning that happens around, who’s bowling the first over. I think wherever Booms (Bumrah) bowls, he’s gonna make a massive impact for us. So there’s a lot of faith in wherever he wants to bowl. And I think we’ve seen that throughout the two games. He might take the new ball at stages, but again, I’m not making that decision, so it’s hard for me to comment.” – Tim David said in the press conference last night at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium. 

Mumbai Indians to welcome Rajasthan Royals up next

Meanwhile, after failing to register their first win in the opening 2 matches, Mumbai Indians will be looking to make use of the home advantage when they welcome Rajasthan Royals up next. Out of the 8 matches as of now, the host team has won all of their games, regardless of how dangerous an opponent has been.

The trend started with CSK beating RCB in the opening match then Punjab, Kolkata, Rajasthan, Bengaluru, Gujarat and Hyderabad continued the trend.