Follow UsMumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya has urged fans to cheer for him and support him during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 after having a hard time with them last season. Pandya’s story has been one of great redemptions ever since the end of the IPL 2024.
From being booed at his home ground - Wankhede Stadium - for taking over as MI captain from Rohit Sharma to being celebrated as India’s hero for winning the T20 World Cup 2024 and ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the only thing left for him is to win the IPL 2025 and complete the circle.
“I agree with them (when fans say Hardik will be an important part of the side). When I go out to bat, cheer for me, when I hit a six, cheer for me. When I go out for toss, cheer for me. I don't want to see any colour other than our colour (at the Wankhede Stadium). That's all that I wish for,” said Pandya, who will miss MI’s first game of the IPL 2025 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23.
MI had one of their poorest seasons last year in IPL history, finishing last on the points table. Pandya himself struggled to get going with both bat and ball but has managed to turn things around since then. The ace all-rounder played a major role in India winning a T20 World Cup and a Champions Trophy in the space of 10 months.
“It has been great. It has been an entertaining journey; difficult, yes, but entertaining. I've always considered myself an important player for a team. If I'm executing my all-round skills, it will always benefit the team,” said Pandya during MI’s pre-season media conference.
Talking about leading five-time champions MI, Pandya said: “There is the legacy. It's been a team where certain expectations are always kept. To fulfil that is always challenging. But for me it is part of the journey to learn and become an even better captain. So to get smarter, more calculated and increase the ability to take pressure. It is exciting and will involve new learning.
"I have wonderful brains (around me) from whom I can take a lot of things and apply it on the field. And that's the goal for me in 2025 to become an even better captain than I've been. To gather as much knowledge and awareness as possible.”