Hardik Pandya is already under heavy scrutiny for his franchise switch. Imagine what will happen if he loses his first match as Mumbai Indians skipper. The star all-rounder will be lambasted by experts and fans for losing to the side he left behind and for replacing Rohit Sharma, a 5-time champion.
Right now, all this seems very likely. MI’s 360-degree batter, Suryakumar Yadav, has been ruled out of their season opener against the Gujarat Titans on March 24. Having suffered an ankle injury in December last year, the world’s No. 1 T20I batter has not been given a clean bill of health by the NCA.
Who will Hardik Pandya pick instead of Suryakumar Yadav?
Due to an already strong and flexible lineup, Surya’s absence may not disturb their team’s overall balance. Tilak Verma, who generally bats at 4, will most likely move one spot above, but skipper Hardik Pandya can promote himself as well. This means that they’ll need to reinforce their lower middle order.
The perfect replacement for SKY will be Nehal Wadhera. Having made his debut last year, the batter scored 241 runs at 26.77 in 14 matches. But the impressive thing about the right-hander was his strike rate. His 241 runs came at a rapid strike rate of 145.18. While he isn’t a type-for-type replacement for Surya, he’s more than capable of carrying his weight down the order.
MI Probable Playing XI for GT vs MI
Rohit Sharma
Ishan Kishan (wk)
Tilak Varma
Hardik Pandya (c)
Nehal Wadhera
Tim David ✈️
Mohammad Nabi ✈️
Piyush Chawla
Gerald Coetzee✈️
Jasprit Bumrah
Jason Behrendorff ✈️
Impact player: Akash Madhwal
KKR’s jerseys over the years in IPL
Rajasthan Royals jerseys over the years in IPL
MI’s jerseys over the years in the IPL
SRH’s jerseys over the years in IPL
CSK’s jerseys over the years in IPL
