Former India spinner Piyush Chawla decoded Hardik Pandya’s captaincy and traced down the best part of it during Mumbai Indians’ dominant victory over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Chawla was speaking on Jio Hotstar. After two defeats on the trot, Mumbai returned to winning ways with a spirited performance to secure an 8-wicket triumph against the Knight Riders on their home turf. KKR batter had no answer to the MI’s pace attack and no solution to stop the blitzkrieg produced by their batters.
Hardik’s out-of-the-box field placement and the effective regulation of his bowlers played their part in increasing KKR’s woes.
“I think the best part of his captaincy was his attacking approach. He read the conditions well and understood that there was something in the pitch for the seamers, so he used them effectively. One move I particularly liked was when Vignesh came in to bowl while Harshit Rana was batting towards the end,” he said on JioHotstar.
After Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar made early inroads, Hardik decided to introduce debutant Ashwani Kumar in the fourth over of the powerplay. The left-arm medium quick stuck on his maiden ball of the IPL debut, removing skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
He continued to breathe fire and ended his searing spell with a four-wicket haul, becoming the first Indian to achieve the feat on his IPL debut.
“You want to get that wicket rather than letting the opposition add another 10-15 runs with Ramandeep Singh still there. Overall, his decision-making was spot on. When a partnership was building between Manish Pandey and Rinku Singh, he brought Ashwani Kumar into the attack, and that over, changed the game. The team executed their plans perfectly today,” he added.
Ashwani’s wicket pool included established stars featuring skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and hard-hitting Andre Russell. Chawala was particularly impressed by Ashwani’s set-up plan for Russell.
“The way he came in, it’s never easy to make such a strong debut, especially at Wankhede, which is known as a batting paradise. Getting a wicket with the very first ball gives any bowler immense confidence. After that, he bowled with great control, varying his lengths effectively,” he said.
He banged in a couple of short-length deliveries before shifting it to a length delivery. Russell went across the line and perished as the ball crashed into the stumps.
“His dismissal of Andre Russell was particularly impressive–he set it up beautifully. He bowled a couple of bouncers when Russell walked in, making him expect the short ball, and then smartly pitched one up to get him out. For a debutant who hasn’t played much first-class cricket, coming in at this level and delivering such a spell is an incredible achievement,” he added.
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