The Pandya brothers – Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya played key roles as Mumbai Indians (MI) toppled Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 37 runs to register their second win in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
Meanwhile, Krunal Pandya shared a crucial stand with Suryakumar Yadav for the fourth wicket after an early debacle. The host lost in-form Quinton de Kock in the third over as Deepak Chahar got the better of him. Rohit Sharma looked completely out of socks while Suryakumar played his shots and looked delightful. MS Dhoni introduced his spinners who once again did the tricks for his side. Ravindra Jadeja removed Rohit while Imran Tahir got the better of Yuvraj Singh to have them at 50 runs.
Since then, Krunal Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav shared a 62-run stand to bail their side out. While Yadav scored 59 runs, Pandya chipped in with 42 runs. Mumbai Indians lost their set batsmen quickly, but Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard ensured they finish with enough runs on the scoreboard. Speaking about the game, Krunal felt it was a challenging score after losing three wickets early on. He also noted that the pitch was not easy to bat and the ball was seaming in the initial overs.
“We were at 50/3 at the half-way stage, but to end up with 170, I think it was a good score on this pitch. It was slightly sticky and the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat. Surya batted very well, it was swinging and seaming around a bit in the initial overs and it wasn’t easy to bat on,” Krunal said.
Impressed with Hardik’s batting: Krunal
Krunal Pandya also hailed his brother Hardik Pandya, who played a cameo off 8-ball 25 runs to help Mumbai Indians finish on a high. The senior of the Pandya brother admitted that Hardik Pandya has not batted this well in his career.
“I am very happy for the way he’s (Hardik) batting, I’m impressed. I have never seen him bat this well previously,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya also chipped in with two wickets in the middle overs to shift the game in Mumbai Indians favour. Debutant Jason Benhrendorff provided an outstanding start with two quick wickets while Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga finished the proceedings in great style.