Hardik Pandya’s best bowling performances for MI

MI Captain Hardik Pandya led from the front with a career-best spell of 5/36 at the Ekana Stadium on Friday. The 31-year-old backed his call to bowl first with his effort in the LSG vs MI clash on Friday. On a sticky surface, Pandya led the way with his variations, putting LSG batters in a fix to restrict them to 203/8.

InsideSport takes a look at some of his best bowling spells in IPL.

Hardik Pandya Best Performances in IPL

1. 1. 5/36 vs LSG, IPL 2025

1 win in 3 games. Rohit Sharma is injured, and LSG is in full flow after a fast powerplay. Enter Hardik Pandya. In his best bowling display, the MI skipper accounted for four of the six top-order wickets to bring his side back into the contest. It was his first fifer in T20s, and he also became the first captain to do so in IPL.

Season opener against your arch-rivals. There’s no bigger game than MI vs CSK in the IPL and Hardik Pandya stamped his authority in style. Defending 165 on a tricky Wankhede surface, Hardik dismissed the danger man Shane Watson, followed by the wicket of Suresh Raina. He later returned to dismiss Mark Wood to finish with figures of 3/24 in his spell. In a game where the other quicks conceded at more than 9, Hardik conceded at 6, along with his three strikes.

Hardik Pandya saved his best for CSK, and this time it was again at the Wankhede. Defending 170 to win, Hardik broke the back of CSK’s chase with a triple strike to ensure a healthy MI win. The all-rounder dismissed CSK skipper MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Deepak Chahar. Earlier, Hardik also chipped in with an 8-ball 25, to power his side to a strong finish.

Hardik Pandya had a difficult year in 2024, but it did not stop the MI skipper from chipping in with a good show. Against the flying Sunrisers, Pandya again chipped in with a three-wicket haul, dismissing Nitish Reddy, Marco Jansen and Shahbaz Ahmed. SRH could only muster a below par 173, which MI chased down with ease.