Hardik Pandya

Intro

Hardik Himanshu Pandya was born on October 11, 1993, in Choryasi, Gujarat. At the age of 30, he has become one of India’s top cricketers. Hardik is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler, playing the role of an allrounder in the team. His versatile skills have made him a key player in Indian cricket. He shares a close bond with his older brother, Krunal Pandya, who is also a professional cricketer.

Hardik Pandya Player Profile

Hardik Pandya is known for his fast seam bowling and strong hitting ability. He can hit sixes from the very first ball. Hardik plays domestic cricket for Baroda and made a big impression in 2015 IPL, where he scored an unbeaten 61 off 31 balls for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders. His journey with Mumbai Indians was long and successful, winning four IPL titles and becoming famous as a finisher. After the 2022 T20 World Cup, Hardik was seen as a future India captain, especially after leading Gujarat Titans to win the IPL in their very first season.

Hardik’s India career started in 2016 when he was selected for a tour of Australia. He impressed everyone with his bowling, especially on fast pitches in Bangladesh during the Asia Cup. India had long been looking for an allrounder who could bowl seam, and Hardik seemed to be the perfect fit. He was also a great fielder, which helped him secure a place in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup that year.

Although Hardik only batted twice in the tournament, he made a huge impact with his bowling. He famously defended two runs off the last three balls to win a match against Bangladesh by one run. However, a few days later, he faced disappointment when he bowled a no-ball to Lendl Simmons, allowing West Indies to win the semi-final and eventually the tournament.

Things have not always been easy for Hardik. A serious back injury in 2018 still affects him, and sometimes he is unable to bowl. In early 2019, he faced trouble off the field when he made offensive remarks on a talk show, which led to action from the Indian cricket board.

In the 2020s, Hardik became a senior player and was praised for his leadership and thinking. In 2022, after India’s win over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, he said he would have been happy even if India lost, because the match was so much fun. After the 2023 IPL final, where his team lost to MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings, Hardik praised Dhoni for his leadership. In that IPL season, Hardik had another great year as a captain and allrounder, scoring 346 runs and taking 9 wickets, leading Gujarat Titans to their second consecutive final.

Hardik Pandya in the IPL

Hardik Pandya is one of the few true seam-bowling allrounders in Indian cricket. He was discovered by Mumbai Indians in 2015.
Hardik spent seven seasons with Mumbai, becoming one of the world’s best allrounders. He was part of Mumbai’s title-winning teams in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. Due to injuries affecting his bowling, Mumbai let him go after the 2021 season.
Before IPL 2022, Hardik was signed by Gujarat Titans, a new team, and was named captain, even though he had never led a team before. In his first season as captain, Hardik led Titans to their first-ever IPL title. He again led them to the final in 2023.
After two great seasons with Gujarat Titans, Hardik was traded back to Mumbai ahead of IPL 2024, where he became captain, replacing Rohit Sharma.
Hardik’s best IPL season as an allrounder was in 2019, when he scored 402 runs at a strike rate of 191.41 and took 14 wickets, helping Mumbai win the title. In 2022, he was the top scorer for Gujarat Titans with 487 runs, leading them to their first IPL win.