IPL 2024: Brian Lara’s dig at Hardik Pandya leaves Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bishop in splits

Hardik Pandya (Source -IPL)

Hardik Pandya’s much-anticipated return to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad took an unexpected turn as he faced relentless booing from the crowd during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans.

Gujarat Titans lifted the IPL title in 2022 and reached the finals in the 2023 season under Pandya’s leadership. After the IPL 2024 auctions, he was traded to Mumbai Indians and was handed over the captaincy duties. The boos were evident as it rained down on him from the moment he stepped onto the field for the toss.

Kevin Pietersen expressed surprise at the hostile reception, given Pandya is an Indian cricketer. “I have never seen any Indian player getting booed like they are booing Hardik Pandya here in Ahmedabad. This is a rare happening,” he said on air.

Also read: IPL 2024: MI, GT fans engage in fight at Narendra Modi Stadium, video goes viral

What can he do to win them back: Ian Bishop

The booing continued throughout different parts of the match, with Brian Lara providing some light-hearted relief in the commentary box.

“Play for India….the next time they play here,” he said, leaving Ian Bishop and Pietersen in splits. Even Bishop opened up about the incident and said, “What can he do to win them back?”

On the field, Pandya’s Mumbai Indians fell short by six runs in their pursuit to chase down a target of 169.  The match saw some impressive performances, with Sai Sudharsan’s 45 off 39 balls helping Gujarat post 168/6. For Mumbai, Dewald Brevis top-scored with 46, while Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers with 3/14.

Also read: Dog runs past Hardik Pandya to interrupt play during match, video goes viral

During the toss Pandya said, “It feels good to be back because this is one stadium where you can enjoy and feel the atmosphere quite lively and obviously the crowd was full and they got a good game as well.”

MI will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next game on March 27 while the Shubman Gill-led side will take on Chennai Super Kings on March 26 in Chennai.