Former India fast bowler Praveen Kumar lashed out at Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Hardik, who is currently with the Mumbai Indians camp and gearing up for the IPL, hasn't played any serious competitive cricket since the time he suffered an injury in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Hardik did appear in the DY Patil T20 Cup competition recently.
Praveen Kumar raised a huge question about Hardik and accused the Indian all-rounder of not giving too much importance to domestic competitions. The ex-India pacer said that before returning to play in the IPL or for the national team, a player who has recovered from an injury should play domestic matches for his state team.
"You get injured two months before the IPL, you don't play for the country, you don't play for your state in domestic cricket, and just directly play in the IPL. That's not how things should be done. It's okay to earn money, there's nothing wrong with that. But you have to play for state and country and now people only give importance to the IPL", Praveen said in a video that has gone viral on social media platforms.
Hardik Pandya to lead Mumbai Indians
In the upcoming edition of the IPL, Hardik Pandya will return to the big stage after undergoing several months of rehabilitation for the injury he suffered during the 2023 ODI World Cup. Hardik looks in supreme fitness and upon his arrival in the Mumbai Indians' camp, the star all-rounder took to the nets and worked on his craft.
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In a video shared by the Mumbai Indians on their official X account, Hardik was spotted smashing massive sixes while batting in the nets.
Mumbai Indians' IPL 2024 squad
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Tim David, Suryakumar Yadav, N. Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis.
Wicketkeepers: Ishan Kishan, Vishnu Vinod.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Nehal Wadhera, Shams Mulani, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma, Naman Dhir.
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Piyush Chawla, Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Anshul Kamboj, Shreyas Gopal.
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