IPL 2021 Exclusive: Hardik Pandya's poor form a worry for Mumbai Indians, says Sanjay Manjrekar
Mumbai Indians faced a six-wicket loss in their game against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday and the defending champions' batting performance came under scrutiny from former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar on India TV's post-match show, 'Cricket Dhamaka'.
Since the last three games, MI have been scoring runs in the region of 150 while batting first. While in their previous two games before the encounter with DC, their bowlers stepped up to steer MI to win, the 138-run target proved too less for MI to defend against the previous year's runners-up.
DC chased the target with five balls to spare, and MI's batting lineup -- comprising of players like Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard faced criticism for its performance.
"Suryakumar Yadav's batting position is fixed, so is Ishan Kishan's who bats at number four. When the wickers fall early, you need a partnership but Hardik Pandya getting out early has become a worry for Mumbai," Manjrekar said.
"Pollard has always been hit-and-miss for MI. He hasn't been consistent for the franchise. Krunal Pandya, meanwhile, is a bowling all-rounder. The problem is not with the batting order, it's with the performance."
Manjrekar also praised the DC batsmen in the run-chase.
"It's a big win for Delhi. MI are often scoring in 150s and they were also successfully defending that total. But it's not every time you can do that. They scored 137 but DC have a strong batting lineup," Manjrekar said.
"This win is also significant for Delhi because this was the first time they played in Chennai."
