IPL – Hardik confirms he’ll bowl for Mumbai in 2024 season

Hardik Pandya has declared himself match to bowl as he returns to captain Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024. The allrounder mentioned he has been match for the reason that begin of this 12 months, after struggling an ankle damage through the 2023 ODI World Cup that dominated him out of all cricket since October.

“Sure, I can be bowling,” Hardik mentioned at a pre-season press convention in Mumbai on Monday. “My damage in [the] World Cup was a freak damage. It had nothing to do with my previous accidents, it had nothing to do with my health. After I received match, the Afghanistan [T20I] sequence had simply began [in January]. I have been match since then, however there have been no video games to play.”

Hardik had injured his ankle in his follow-through whereas bowling throughout India’s World Cup league match in opposition to Bangladesh in Pune. He mentioned that his makes an attempt to get well in time for the knockout phases had aggravated the damage.

“My damage, from day one, confirmed that I will be out of the World Cup, however taking part in for India has at all times been particular, particularly in a World Cup. [So] we pushed [for] ten days – we knew that it is an uphill activity to be match for the World Cup semi-finals or finals,” he mentioned. “Once we pushed, I form of triggered my damage [further], and the damage turned a bit longer.”

Hardik: ‘I do know that Rohit will at all times have a hand on my shoulder’

“I do not assume it is going to be awkward, or something totally different, it is going to be a pleasant feeling as a result of we have been taking part in [together] for ten years,” Hardik mentioned of his relationship with Rohit and the brand new workforce dynamic. “I’ve performed my entire profession underneath him, and I do know he will have a hand on my shoulder at all times.

“He is been touring, he is been taking part in. It has been a few months since we have seen one another. As soon as he comes [and joins the MI camp], we’ll positively have a chat.”

The Mumbai coach Mark Boucher mentioned that Rohit free of the duty of captaincy may very well be key for the workforce. “I feel Rohit’s in improbable type. I have been watching the video games in opposition to England and the best way that he is hitting the ball, his actions into the ball are improbable,” Boucher mentioned. “So I am actually trying ahead to Rohit going out and actually expressing himself, with out the captaincy on his shoulders.”

Rohit has had a tricky time with the bat in latest IPL seasons, averaging 24.89 and going at a strike price of 127.54 in 70 innings throughout the final 5 years. “If he has an awesome season for us, we’ll be within the dying phases of the event,” Boucher mentioned.

IPL 2023 was Boucher’s first season as head coach after changing Mahela Jayawardene, and Mumbai completed fourth within the league stage earlier than crashing out in Qualifier 2 – to Hardik’s Gujarat Titans.

Will MI begin with 4 abroad gamers?

Mumbai went all out for abroad quicks to accomplice the returning Jasprit Bumrah this season, spending INR 14.40 crore (out of a remaining purse of INR 17.75 crore) on South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee and Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka and Nuwan Thushara. Additionally they purchased Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi along with the pre-auction commerce of West Indian Romario Shepherd.

“When you’ve got a take a look at all of the [overseas] gamers we have now chosen, we have loads of choices,” Boucher mentioned. “I feel this season we are able to select conditions-related, we’ll take a look and see which gamers finest swimsuit totally different situations.”

Boucher did trace at Mumbai probably beginning with three abroad gamers – one thing they did in three video games final season – given the wealth of Indian batting choices out there for the primary XI.

“There would possibly even be conditions the place we solely go in with three abroad gamers, with out giving an excessive amount of away, and possibly have one or two choices as influence gamers on the bench, and take a look on the situations and see what’s finest going to swimsuit us.”

Yash Jha is a multi-platform content material producer and presenter for ESPNcricinfo