'He looks flat at the moment, he looks drained': Aaron Finch on Hardik Pandya's current condition

In a thrilling match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium, KKR emerged victorious by 24 runs. Batting first, KKR set a target of 169 runs in 19.5 overs, with Venkatesh Iyer shining with a stellar innings of 70 runs off 52 balls. In response, MI could only manage 145 runs in 18.5 overs, despite Suryakumar Yadav's valiant 56 off 35 balls. Jasprit Bumrah stood out for MI with figures of 3/18 in 3.5 overs. KKR's Nuwan Thushara and Varun Chakaravarthy also made significant contributions with 3/42 and 2/22 respectively. In addition, Mitchell Starc's exceptional bowling performance of 4/33 in 3.5 overs played a crucial role in keeping the pressure on Mumbai Indians during their chase against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Also Read: IPL 2024: KKR beat MI in an away game for the first time in 12 year

Aaron Finch believes that Hardik Pandya is playing under alot of pressure

The Mumbai Indians (MI) lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 24 runs on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium, marking their eighth loss in the 2024 Indian Premier League. The Indian Premier League has been tough for MI this year, and Hardik Pandya's difficulties have drawn attention.

According to Aaron Finch, Hardik Pandya seemed to have run out of steam during MI's tumultuous IPL 2024 campaign. After losing to Shreyas Iyer's KKR, Mumbai's chances of winning the competition have considerably decreased, even if they are still hanging onto a mathematical possibility.

MI's most recent loss has dropped them to the ninth position in the standings, as they have only managed to accumulate 6 points and a net run rate of -0.356. Hardik's play on an individual basis has reflected the team's struggles. Even though Hardik took 2 wickets against KKR, he let up 44 runs in his 4 overs.

The 30-year-old did not have much of an effect at the bat, managing only 1 run off 3 balls before giving Manish Pandey an easy catch off Andre Russell's bowling. Speaking on Star Sports, Aaron Finch said: 

“He looks flat at the moment, he looks drained. He looks like someone who is feeling the pressure. I feel for him as I know what it feels like to be in that situation. Everything that you try doesn’t seem to work and when the team is not performing well, that’s a really difficult place,”

“It’s one thing when you are not performing, but your team is winning. That’s something you take pride in as a captain. But you wear all the responsibilities of your own performance and also of the team and it’s an incredibly hard place to be in, particularly in this competition,” 

“You would expect them to chase 170 when dew is forming in at the Wankhede. It’s a beautiful place to bat generally. Yes it was a bit uncharacteristic in the way it turned a bit more, and was a little bit more two paced than what we have seen in the past,”

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Finch said that the home team ought to have been able to effectively chase down the score in Mumbai's ideal batting conditions. MI failed to meet their modest goal of 170 runs and were bowled out for 145 in 18.5 overs. On Monday, May 6, MI will take on SRH, their next opponent, with their hopes of making the playoffs hanging in the balance.