Mumbai Indians (MI) picked up a heavy defeat against their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK)in their IPL 2026 clash on Thursday, April 24 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Batting first CSK posted a total of 207/6 with Sanju Samson scoring unbeaten 101 off just 54 balls.
Sanju Samson brilliantly constructed his innings with cautiously starting and smoothly changing gears in the middle overs. In the second over of the first innings, Sanju and Ruturaj Gaikwad took charge against Hardik Pandya, scoring 19 runs. During his masterclass innings, Samson managed to smash three boundaries and one six off Pandya's bowling. However, during the death overs Hardik Pandya did not come to bowl and sent Krish Bhagat instead.
Also Read: WATCH: Heated moment at Wankhede as Tilak Varma and Jamie Overton engage in a fiery spat
Also Read: Is skipper Hardik Pandya's form a concern? MI coach breaks silence after massive defeat against CSK
In an interaction with ESPNcricinfo, the former MI star pacer Mitchell McClenaghan has claimed that Hardik must be feeling pressure to bowl against Sanju in the death overs, as he already leaked a lot of runs in his first spell.
"I think Sanju just lined up Hardik initially. So, obviously, that's also a confidence thing maybe. The fact that Sanju is well-set and he is going to be facing Hardik Pandya in the death. Maybe Hardik felt that a new bowler, different style, lesser known, maybe he would try," claimed McClenaghan.
Hardik Pandya's underwhelming performance in IPL 2026
In IPL 2026, Hardik Pandya has been seen struggling for some form, as he has amassed only 97 runs in six innings at an average of 19.40 with a strike rate around 140.58, with a top score of 40 off 22 balls coming up in the loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
The star-Indian all-rounder has managed to clinch only three wickets with the ball at a high economy rate of 12.67. In the game against CSK, the former GT skipper leaked 38 runs in just two overs.