Hardik combines natural length with shrewd variations for maximum impact

Hardik Pandya was at the receiving end of numerous trolls and severe criticism following Mumbai Indians' 10th finish in IPL 2024, despite them boasting a solid core. On an individual front, he averaged 18 with the bat and 35.18 with the ball while conceding at 10.75 runs per over. That was of course followed by a title winning campaign at the T20 World Cup soon after, and the redemption arc was extended emphatically at the ICC Champions Trophy more recently.

As for the IPL, MI have had a characteristically faltered start to a season yet again with a solitary win from their first four games. The skipper, however, has had a fine run with the ball in all three outings, with eight wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.5. He returned a career best 5/36 against the Lucknow Super Giants on Friday, the first five-wicket haul by a captain in the competition's history, one that featured prized scalps of Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant, David Miller and Aiden Markram.

The standout feature of Hardik's spell, and MI's bowling as a whole was the smart use of off-pace deliveries by their seamers. For starters, Hardik resorted to his natural, go-to length - the short-pitched stuff - delivering 15 balls in that zone that fetched him four wickets, while Rishabh Pant was undone by an off-cutter that held up from the good length spot. Overall, he bowled six off-cutters in his spell and three of those resulted in wickets, including that of an in-form Nicholas Pooran. Trent Boult and young Ashwani Kumar too, followed the suit, taking the pace off to dismiss Abdul Samad and Ayush Badoni respectively in the death overs.

MI's seam bowlers vs LSG

*excluding extras

Furthermore, MI bowlers used the uneven boundary dimensions to great effect in the closing stages with significant difference in the square boundaries - 73 metres vs 66 metres. As Ayush Badoni scooped a six to the shorter side off Ashwani, the left-armer went further wide to have him caught behind off the very next ball, while each of the last four batters to be dismissed - Markram, Samad, Miller and Akash Deep - were forced to hit to the longer boundary off slower ones bowled into the wicket, depriving them of any substantial power through the shot.

For someone who's bowled across all phases of an innings, the short length is a natural one for Hardik. Nearly half (47.53%) of the balls he's bowled in his IPL career have been pitched short, accounting for the 38 of his 72 wickets (52.77%). Across all T20s where data is available, those numbers are almost identical: 49.57% and 55.81% respectively. It has been his comfortable go-to option ever since his early days, when he helped India pull victory from the jaws of defeat in a thrilling last-over finish against Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup 2016.

The contest stood evenly poised at the 15-over mark of MI's chase; they were 143/3 compared to LSG's 146/3 at a similar point, before the visitors were undone by some smart bowling at the back end. MI might have just two points at this stage, but they do have some positives ahead of their next two away games at high scoring venues. Their quicks have 21 wickets from four games thus far, seven clear of the next best (14 for Kolkata Knight Riders), the average (19.14) and strike-rate (12.5) only bettered by the Delhi Capitals (18.3 and 11.2 respectively). All of that without the services of a certain Jasprit Bumrah.