For the home side, the absence of skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who has been sidelined for a week to 10 days due to a shoulder injury, will put more pressure on the non-performing top order to come of age, and rub off the dust from their bats.
The Statesman understands that the selectors will be looking at adding balance to the side, and in the current scenario, Dube’s stats make him an automatic choice over Pandya, who has been struggling ever since his return to action.
Pollard rated Pandya as one of the great “all-rounders” India has ever produced, and believed that fans will ‘sing praises for him’ soon.
A contest against a floundering RCB could not only bring about their second successive win but also provide them the cushion of confidence, before facing defending champions Chennai Super Kings.
When Mumbai Indians kicked off their IPL 2024 campaign in Ahmedabad against Gujarat Titans, the team that Hardik led for the past couple of seasons, and took them to two finals, besides winning the 2022 edition, the fans booed Hardik,
First by parachuting Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans and then dethroning Rohit Sharma to elevate the Baroda all-rounder to the captain’s role doesn’t seem to have gone down well with many aspirants within the franchise.
Rohit, who led Mumbai to IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, is the joint-most-successful captain in the tournament’s history alongside Chennai Super Kings’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Hardik Pandya has been traded to Mumbai Indians by Gujarat Titans in an all-cash deal.
Shubman Gill will lead GT in IPL 2024 after Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians.
The Statesman had earlier reported on Saturday that Pandya’s return to the Mumbai Indians fold was on the cards and deal could be an all-cash one, which means that the Mumbai franchise will not swap any of their players with the Titans.
