Shayan Ahmad Khan, Jarrod Kimber
Hardik Pandya’s return to Mumbai Indians was the biggest trade move in IPL history. According to Mark Boucher, the decision to relieve Rohit Sharma from captaincy duties was to get the best out of him as a batter. The trade involved Cameron Green going from MI to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and then MI getting Hardik from Gujarat Titans.
So far, the player movement hasn’t quite worked out for anyone. Hardik’s performances for MI have been disappointing in all aspects, GT are clearly short on batting in his absence, and Green has been left out of the playing XI mid-way through the season by RCB.
Hardik had a strike rate of 165 at an average of 36 in the IPL from 2017 to 2020. Against pace, the strike rate went up to 179. In the final four overs, he struck at 194. He combined that with 38 wickets at an economy of 8.85, while bowling almost two and a half overs per game from 2017-19. Quality seam-bowling allrounders are anyway a rare breed. Hardik was not just that, he was also one of the best players in the league.
Since 2021 though, his numbers have nosedived. He now averages 29.75, but at a strike rate of only 132. These numbers look a lot like that of an anchor, which is exactly the role he played for the Titans for large parts of the two seasons he led them in. Against pace, he has a strike rate of 135. His strike rate in the death overs has dropped to 167.5.
He had a terrible 2021, but he was still performing the role of a finisher. In 2022 and 2023, he batted 19 times at No.4 and 11 times at No.3. He was the captain of a new franchise that won a title and came within one ball of repeating that triumph, but as an anchor-type batter.
Although there is an increase in his strike rate this season – which could also be a function of him batting lower down more often than before – he has played a couple of net-negative knocks like 39 (33) vs Delhi Capitals and 24 (20) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad. Both were very high-scoring games and Hardik looked far from his best. His best innings came against Rajasthan Royals, when he made 34 (21) after coming in at 20 for 4.
Hardik’s declining numbers against pace were first seen when England toured India for a five match T20I series in 2021. In both of India’s losses, England’s pacers bowled hard lengths, short balls and bouncers, which did not allow Hardik to free himself up. He ended with scores of 19 (21) and 17 (15) respectively in those matches.
Although he did make a strong comeback with a quickfire 39* (17) in the decider, teams now had an idea on how to tie him down. Pakistan used the hard lengths tactic against him in two T20 World Cups, in 2021 and 2022, using their fastest bowler Haris Rauf.
There’s another T20 World Cup looming now, right after the IPL, and there have been discussions about whether Hardik should make India’s squad. What he has going for him is that despite the drop in form, he’s still India’s best pace-bowling allrounder.
Shivam Dube has elite batting numbers for CSK, but he has not bowled a ball in the last two seasons. In 2022, he bowled only two overs in 11 matches. For India, he has bowled 15 overs in eight matches since 2023, taking 3 for 144 overall. The evidence suggests that Dube is currently far closer to being a part-timer than a genuine sixth bowling option.
Conversely, Hardik has picked up 15 wickets at an economy rate of 8.72 in the IPL since 2022. However, his bowling this season has been a lot worse. He is going at 11 runs per over, and has picked up only four wickets in five matches, both of which are far from ideal.
Speaking about his bowling on Cricbuzz, Simon Doull didn’t pull any punches.
“From Hardik’s point of view, you don’t go out in game number one and make a statement by opening the bowling, and then all of a sudden decide that you are not required. He’s injured. I’m telling you there is something wrong with him. He is not admitting it. And he won’t say it. But there has got to be something wrong with him, because he tried to make a statement in game number one by taking that new ball. And that’s what he wanted to do. If he’s not bowling, there is something wrong. That’s my gut feeling.”
Given Hardik’s poor returns with the ball, would he still be an automatic selection in India’s playing XI for the T20 World Cup? He does have the international experience, and has performed for India in major tournaments, so is perhaps better versed to deal with that pressure than Dube would be. And even despite this season’s returns, Hardik’s bowling has been a much greater weapon than Dube’s.
It’s possible too, that the team management and selectors might not see Hardik and Dube as competing for the same spot. But even if they do, and even given Dube’s superb season, the decision makers in Indian cricket will want Hardik to regain form as soon as possible. A fit and firing Hardik Pandya offers the kind of balance few others can in world cricket, and India need that player with a T20 World Cup around the corner.
Stats from Cricmetric and Howstat
