As Hardik Pandya prepares to lead Mumbai Indians (MI) for the first time in IPL 2025, head coach Mahela Jayawardene has backed the all-rounder to move past the challenges of last season, when MI’s campaign was marred by crowd hostility and a last-place finish.
Since then, Hardik has enjoyed a strong run with the Indian team, winning two ICC titles, including the T20 World Cup in June 2024. Jayawardene believes that the fans will now look past the events of the previous season and focus on the cricket.
“It’s just a game of cricket. Fans are passionate and emotions run high, but I believe everyone has moved on,” Jayawardene said ahead of MI’s upcoming clash against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. “It’s amazing to see how loyalty plays a role in the IPL, and I’ve loved watching that from the outside. In the last 12 months, Hardik has achieved a lot more, and I’m sure people will see beyond last year. Let’s just enjoy some good cricket.”
Hardik missed MI’s 2025 season opener against Chennai Super Kings due to a one-match suspension for an over-rate offence in the previous season.
Looking ahead to the game against Gujarat Titans, Jayawardene wasn’t concerned about MI’s winless record in Ahmedabad, where they’ve lost all three matches since 2023.
“We’re just focused on the present,” he said. “I don’t think I was even involved in those games, so this is a fresh start.”
MI are still without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who continues his rehabilitation at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
“He’s following his rehab program daily. Everything seems on track, but no timelines have been shared by the NCA yet,” Jayawardene said.
In the absence of both Bumrah and Hardik against CSK, MI handed IPL debuts to pacer S Raju and untested left-arm wristspinner Vignesh Puthur. While Raju bowled just one over, Puthur impressed with figures of 3 for 32 — despite never having played professional T20 or representative cricket before.
MI discovered Puthur during the inaugural Kerala T20 league and later gave him a stint as a net bowler with MI Cape Town in SA20, where he trained alongside Rashid Khan.
“I wasn’t there at the SA20 personally, but I was involved in the thought process,” Jayawardene said. “We just wanted to expose him to higher-level cricket because we saw talent. He hadn’t played much before that, so giving him that experience was important. He’s relaxed and handling things well now.”
Puthur could now face Rashid Khan — his former mentor — when MI take on GT in what promises to be an intriguing contest.
