IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya Backs Mumbai Indians’ Nehal Wadhera for National Selection

MI captain Hardik Pandya praised Nehal Vadhera’s batting brilliance despite his team’s defeat against LSG in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on April 30. After being sent into bat, the MI top order crumbled against LSG’s new bowlers, losing 4 key wickets of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma and skipper Hardik Pandya in the powerplay. Ishan Kishan and Nehal Vadhera steadied the ship and put on a 53-run partnership for the 5th wicket to give the five-time IPL winners some strength. Hardik opined that Vadera’s performances in the recent past stand him in good stead for bigger things in the future, including an India call-up.

“He has been brilliant, the way he batted against Rajasthan and tonight. He was brilliant last year too. He couldn’t play early because of the team combination. Given his talent, he will play for many years. For Mumbai and eventually for India.” Hardik said. Nehal Vadera was one of MI’s big finds in the IPL 2023 season. The young left-hander scored 241 runs in 14 matches for MI last year. However, in a shocking call from team management, the big-hitter was benched for the first 7 games of the 2024 season. Vadhera proved his worth after returning with a 24-ball 49 against the Royals.

After a steady loss of wickets, Vadera’s resilience at the crease and some last-minute explosiveness from Tim David, who hit an unbeaten 35 off just 18 balls, were instrumental in guiding MI to a total of 144 runs. However, the target proved too little for MI to save. LSG won by 4 wickets on Tuesday after Marcus Stoinis hit 62 off 45 balls. LSG’s win was a major blow to MI’s play-off hopes. The defeat has turned every match into a must-win for the team, who now focus on their next challenge against in-form KKR on May 3.