'I liked what I saw': Hardik Pandya's puzzling remark on MI getting hammered for 277 runs vs SRH

In Wednesday’s thrilling IPL match, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) faced Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. SRH posted a commanding total of 277/3 in their 20 overs, with Abhishek Sharma's explosive 63 off 23 balls being the standout performance. In reply, MI put up a valiant effort but fell short, scoring 246/5 in their 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma's match-winning innings earned him the Player of the Match award. SRH emerged victorious by 31 runs, showcasing a strong all-round performance. The exciting encounter left fans on the edge of their seats.

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Hardik Pandya supported Kwena Maphaka’s blunder against SRH in the IPL 2024 encounter 

In spite of his difficult performance, Hardik Pandya, the captain of the Mumbai Indians, gave 17-year-old rookie Kwena Maphaka words of encouragement and gratitude during a thrilling game at Hyderabad's Uppal Stadium in the Twenty24 Indian Premier League.

Even though he let up 66 runs in his four overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pandya praised Maphaka's tenacity and willpower. Despite the burden of being Maphaka's IPL debutant, Pandya praised the young bowler for his poise and self-assurance throughout the game.

Pandya praised Maphaka's performance as "fantastic," highlighting the rookie's optimistic outlook and stressing the need of giving him more playing time to further his growth. In the post-match press conference, Pandya said: 

"He (Kwena Maphaka) was fantastic, coming into his first game and getting overwhelmed, he was alright and backed his skillset, just needs some game time," added the Mumbai Indians skipper.

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Hardik Pandya praised his bowlers in his assessment of the team's performance, citing their efforts in spite of difficult conditions on a field that was expected to score a lot of runs. Pandya accepted that the bowlers had difficult circumstances, with the surface greatly favouring the batters and over 500 runs being scored.

Notwithstanding the challenges, Pandya acknowledged the high learning curve his youthful bowling team is traversing and expressed happiness with their efforts. He acknowledged the areas that needed work, but he was upbeat about their prospects for advancement. He added: 

"Not really (thought SRH would score 277 at the toss). The wicket was good, 277 no matter how bad or good you bowl, if the opposition has to score that much, that means they have batted well. They (the bowlers) were good, it was tough out there, almost 500 runs were scored and the wicket was helping the batters, we could have done a few things here and there, but having said that, we have a young bowling attack, not that experienced so I like what I saw today," Hardik said.