IPL 2024: How Hardik Pandya’s return can help Mumbai Indians reclaim the trophy after three years?

If 2022 was a disastrous season for Mumbai Indians who finished at the bottom of the table, 2023 would have left a bittersweet taste in the mouth as they made it to the playoffs with a weakened team. However, bringing Hardik Pandya back could prove to be a game-changer for the franchise this year.

Hardik, when fully fit, is a rare breed – an Indian pace-bowling all-rounder who can bowl at brisk pace at any stage of the game, also having brutal power-hitting ability in the final overs.

When Hardik was not retained ahead of the mega auction in 2021, he hadn’t bowled a single ball for the franchise for a couple of years (2020, 2021). His batting stocks had also fallen drastically in 2021 when he averaged just 14.11 at a strike rate of 113.29.

MI 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 🎬#ICYMI here are the 🔝 #MIBTS 𝓶𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼 from our Pre-Season Press Conference! 🎙️🤩#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians | @hardikpandya7 @markb46 pic.twitter.com/GnU1ziBQBz

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 19, 2024

However, while not retaining him would have been an easier decision at the time, replacing him was the real challenge for Mumbai Indians. To get a suitable alternative, who could deliver consistently at a high level, the franchise had to look for an overseas option.

In 2022, Rohit would occasionally turn to Kieron Pollard with the ball to make up the fifth bowler’s allotment but the big West Indian bowling at military medium was never going to give any batting unit nightmares.

Last season, the franchise brought in Cameron Green who did reasonably well with the ball and was exceptional with the bat coming at the top of the order. But it forced the team management to alter its success mantra of playing two overseas pacers. Mitchell Johnson-Lasit Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan-Malinga, or Trent Boult with either James Pattinson or Nathan Coulter-Nile, alongside Jasprit Bumrah as the lone Indian seamer, was one of the major reasons behind their success.

"𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮."

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— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 18, 2024

Green would take up one of the four overseas spots leaving Mumbai having to use two Indian seamers and one overseas bowler. To make matters worse, Bumrah missed the entirety of last year and Jofra Archer who was supposed to be the main overseas option was unavailable through injury as well.

The emergence of Akash Madhwal in the middle part of last season and veteran leggie Piyush Chawla picking wickets papered over a lot of cracks, but they were no match for Shubman Gill’s sublime assault in Qualifier 2 which brought the curtain down on Mumbai Indians’ campaign.

While Mumbai Indians were struggling with these issues, Hardik was writing his own success story at Gujarat Titans. Leading a new franchise, he tasted ultimate glory in the inaugural season when nobody would gave them a chance, ending on the losing side the next year after a last-ball thriller.

Hardik, who looked to be a fading force at Mumbai Indians, would reinvent himself at Titans. He would take the new ball and swing it both ways, come up the batting order and churn out vital runs. The all-rounder enjoyed arguably his best period in the IPL in the Gujarat Titans shirt.

Though Hardik’s return has put smiles on the faces of Mumbai Indians fans, the opinions were mixed when he was announced as captain of the side.

That decision was influenced by how Hardik galvanised Gujarat Titans in the two seasons he led them. But replacing Rohit would have been a difficult call for the franchise, especially after he became India captain. It would be the first time an India captain would not lead his franchise since the inception of the tournament.

However, Rohit’s own batting returns have tapered off in the IPL of late. To be blunt, if his numbers were looked at in isolation without knowing the player’s name it would be a surprise that the player was not dropped.

Bringing back Hardik and naming him captain is a calculated gamble by Mumbai Indians. For a franchise that has won the most trophies (5) alongside Chennai Super Kings in the history of the tournament, and with the quality of players and support staff at their disposal, delivering silverware regularly is not a luxury but a necessity for the franchise.

It is going to be a baptism by fire for Hardik. Every decision he makes will be scrutinized closely and every facial expression captured by cameras dissected on social platforms. He needs to deliver silverware to buy over the fans and repay the faith reposed by the franchise.

The 17th season of the Indian Premier League 2024 starts on March 22 with a mouth-watering opening clash between MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings and Faf Du Plessis led-Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The schedule of the first 15 days was announced initially, while the roster for the remaining games is to be announced once the dates for the general elections are official. Ahead of the 2024 edition, New Zealand spinner and former Royal Challengers Bangalore bowler Daniel Vettori tops the list for the best economy in the history of IPL. Vettori bowled at an economy of 6.56 in his IPL career so far. He is followed by fellow RCB bowler and Indian legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble. The bowler has bowled at an economy of 6.58 in his IPL career and is among one of the best middle-over bowlers in the history of the tournament. Australian legend and Delhi Capitals player Glenn McGrath has bowled at an economy of 6.61 in his 14-match career. He is followed by modern T20 maestro leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who goes at just 6.67 in his spells. Coming to last season in 2023, Punjab Kings all-rounder Mathew Short has been sensational with his economy. He has been able to bowl his overs at 6.25. Delhi Capitals' Pravin Dubey too has been miserly in three overs going at just 6.33. Gujarat Titans off-spinner who played just one game for them last season bowled at 6.50. Sunrisers Hyderabad's Glenn Phillips too has been tidy going at 6.66.

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