 "Hardik Pandya returns to Mumbai Indians after leading Gujarat Titans for two IPL seasons. Sportzpics")
Hardik Pandya will be keen to build on the rich legacy of his predecessor Rohit Sharma when he begins his Mumbai Indians captaincy stint against former team Gujarat Titans - who he marshalled over last two seasons.
Pandya, having led Titans to the title and runners-up finish in the previous two seasons, has returned to Mumbai Indians where he made a name for himself.
The tournament also marks Pandya’s comeback from ‘freak’ ankle injury he picked up during the ODI World Cup in October.
The form of the injury-prone all-rounder with bat and ball will be closely tracked in the tournament that precedes the T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean.
With Pandya returning to MI, Titans will be led by Shubman Gill, who assumes the responsibility with very little captaincy experience.
Mumbai enter the season with fitness issues to key players including star batter Suryakumar Yadav, who is yet to get fitness clearance from NCA. Left-arm pacers Jason Behrendorff and Dilshan Madushanka have already been ruled out of the IPL while new recruit Gerald Coetzee, nursing a groin injury, might not be available either.
Another player whose performance will be scrutinised is Ishan Kishan, who will have a point to prove after losing his BCCI central contract. The southpaw, who missed the Tests against South Africa and England, preferred to train on his own for the IPL and did not turn up for his state side Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy. The fight for the wicket-keeper batter’s slot in the World Cup squad will be intense and Kishan needs to be at the top of his game over the next two months.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOn the Titans’ front, Gill holds the challenging prospect of leading a team that has started superbly in the IPL in its first two seasons.
He was the leading run-getter last season and the franchise would be hoping that captaincy doesn’t impact his batting.
Titans are bound to miss the services of Mohammed Shami, who recently underwent a surgery to repair Achillies tendon and will be back only in the second half of the year.
The return of trump card Rashid Khan from a back surgery is a massive boost for Titans. The Afghanistan spinner made his comeback in the series against Ireland last week.
Among the new joinees, left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson and Azmatullah Omarazai, will be looking to make a mark in the world’s biggest T20 league.