'MI would be learning from mistakes': Anil Kumble highlights Hardik Pandya's BIG BLUNDER in IPL 2024

Today at 7:30 pm, the Sunrisers Hyderabad will face off against the Mumbai Indians in the T20 8 of 74 in the IPL 2024.SRH will eye to give a heated battle with MI, led by Hardik Pandya. The Sunrisers squad includes notable players likepar Cummins, Abdul Samad, Mayank Agarwal, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The match will take place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

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Anil Kumble wants Hardik Pandya to bat a litter earlier in the order 

Hardik Pandya should bat higher up the order for the Mumbai Indians, according to former Indian cricket team head coach Anil Kumble. Kumble's comments are made prior to the Mumbai Indians' slated Wednesday, March 27 game against the SunRisers Hyderabad. The Mumbai Indians lost their opening match of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) against the Gujarat Titans, despite needing to chase a meagre 169-run total at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

In an interview on Jio Cinema, Kumble noted that the franchise did not do well when Hardik Pandya came out to bat at No. 7, as they found it difficult to take control of the game in the middle overs. MI lost to Shubman Gill's team by 6 runs after only managing 162 runs despite requiring 43 from the final 5 overs.

Hardik Pandya's decision to bat at No. 7 in the match surprised many, especially because he had batted at No. 4 for the Gujarat Titans in the previous two seasons. Pandya could have stepped in sooner, but he waited until MI needed 25 runs off 12 balls before stepping into the crease.

The all-rounder blasted a six and a four on the first two deliveries of the match's last over, creating some late excitement, but he was finally removed when trying to make a third straight big shot and was caught at far on.

Anil Kumble feels that the Mumbai Indians will benefit from Hardik Pandya getting moved up the batting order. Anil Kumble said: 

“Mumbai Indians were in a great position in their first game when they needed 43 off the last 5 overs with 7 wickets in hand. They let the chase too deep. Hardik Pandya needs to come up the batting order. In T20 cricket, when you are chasing, you are looking at 19 overs and not 20. MI would be learning from the mistakes that they commited in the last game,”

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The SunRisers Hyderabad will also be coming off a setback in their tournament opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders. In a nail-biting match at the legendary Eden Gardens, the Pat Cummins-led team barely lost by 4 runs in a last-ball drama while chasing a difficult total of 209 runs.