Zaheer Khan says Hardik Pandya will bowl soon, reveals Mumbai Indians' 6th bowling option

Mumbai Indians (MI) Director of Cricket Zaheer Khan has said that Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who did not bowl in the first game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), will bowl “very soon”. According to ESPNcricinfo, Khan said that Hardik did not bowl against the Virat Kohli-led RCB because of workload management issues as he had bowled for India in the ODI series against England last month. The former Indian pacer said Hardik was given rest in the bowling department after consultations with the physios. 

Hardik did not bowl against RCB in the season opener on April 9, which Mumbai Indians lost by 2 wickets with zero balls to spare. Hardik was not able to contribute much with the bat as he scored just 13 off 10 balls before being dismissed lbw by Harshal Patel. Now, Zaheer Khan has said Hardik will bowl for MI very soon without revealing exactly when and against who. Khan, who dubbed Hardik as a “whole package”, said he is confident that the all-rounder will be chipping in with the ball very soon. 

Kieron Pollard as 6th bowling option

Khan also said that veteran cricketer Kieron Pollard will be Mumbai’s sixth bowling option in the field. Khan, who described Pollard as an “experienced campaigner”, said he is going to be a bowling option for Mumbai even if Hardik is available. Hardik Pandya had stopped bowling after undergoing successful back surgery in 2019. Hardik has since started bowling gradually for India and even bowled nine overs in the recently concluded ODI series. 

Defending champions Mumbai Indians will play Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their second game in Chennai and the Rohit Sharma-led side will look to win the match given that the franchise has already lost their first against RCB. The five-time title winner will see their star opener Quinton de Kock return for the second game.   

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