After winning their fifth IPL title in 2020, Mumbai twice crashed out in the league stages in two successive seasons in 2021 and 2022, while they made it to the play-offs last year, but lost in the Qualifier 2 match to the Pandya-led Gujaraat Titans.
'It was a lot of hard work. We had to clear our minds and make sure that we believed.'
West Indies captain Shai Hope took responsibility for his slow batting in their T20 World Cup match against India, which led to their elimination from the mega-event.
The indefatigable duo of Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj is expected to be the big talking point on Saturday when the selectors pick a 15-member Indian ODI squad for a three-match series against New Zealand starting January 11 in Vadodara.
At this moment, the Indian think tank is doing a tough balancing act of building the team around a new set of players without completely cutting ties with the old guard.
'What you see with Hardik Pandya as a captain is a sense of comfort with the rest of the team.'
Ajit Agarkar's tenure as India's chief selector has been defined by bold decisions, tough calls and India reaching multiple ICC finals during his three-year stint.
Senior batter Rohit Sharma missed out Mumbai Indians' match against Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League in Lucknow on Friday after he was hit on the knee during a nets session, according to captain Hardik Pandya.
India pacer Harshit Rana has revealed that the Indian management is aiming to groom him as an all-rounder.
Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya said it was important to stay disciplined and humble following their sixth victory in a row.
Spin stalwart Ravichandran Ashwin feels that if all-rounder Hardik Pandya is made the Mumbai Indians skipper, Rohit Sharma will "handle it with grace" as the Team India captain "does not have much ego".
India beat South Africa by seven wickets on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the T20 series after their bowlers skittled the tourists for 117, with Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh's performance setting up the platform for a dominant win for the hosts in Dharamsala.
Sanju Samson said he wants play another match-winning performance in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand on Sunday, aiming to secure a record third title for India.
'Shardul Thakur isn't as good as Hardik Pandya. I don't believe he is an all-rounder'
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026.
However, their third choice Ishan Kishan didn't work out and they have now zeroed in on Gill, who could also be seen as a potential captaincy candidate.
An emotional Natasa joined Hardik after the match to celebrate the historic moment as the Gujarat Titans became only the second team to win the IPL title in their first season.
'With the ease and the calmness that he batted, it gave us a lot of confidence that now, probably, we are on the right track.'
Former Australia player Tom Moody believes India need to be flexible with their batting order in white ball cricket.
Sunil Gavaskar believes Abhishek Sharma is struggling with expectations in the T20 World Cup and advises him to avoid risky shots early in his innings. Gavaskar also praises Shivam Dube and Varun Chakravarthy's performances and suggests potential changes for the Super 8 clash against South Africa.
'My message to all the young guns who are joining Mumbai Indians this year is that if you are here, you have that spark, you have that talent, which the scouts have seen.'
'...You see someone like Ben Stokes, what he does for England, brings in great balance as an all-rounder. I see no reason why Hardik Pandya can't become that for India'
IPL 2026 Week 6 featured Rohit Sharma's explosive return, Urvil Patel's record-equalling fifty, Finn Allen's maiden IPL ton and Rashid Khan's brilliant comeback spell.
Hardik Pandya branded the newly-constructed stadium 'unreal' while retweeting BCCI's original tweet.
The Gujarat Titans captain registered match-turning figures of 3/17 to help his team outclass the Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in the final at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru aim to leverage their powerful batting lineup against Lucknow Super Giants' disciplined bowling attack in their upcoming IPL match
'Hardik is also a part of leading group. When we sit, we decide what we want to do in the game going forward and also on the field. He is always around. It's like we have a lot of captains on the ground.'
India will be hoping that Abhishek Sharma returns to his destructive ways and the other batters up their game against spin when the side takes the field for its final T20 World Cup league fixture against the Netherlands.
Hardik was inspirational with both bat and in the field and there was no one more worthy of being the top performer of the game.
Australian star batter Steve Smith has advised Hardik Pandya to simply "block out" the constant jeers and boos the new Mumbai Indians skipper is receiving from spectators at the IPL so far, as they are "all irrelevant".
By posing with folks at the baby store, the soon-to-be-daddy and the just-become-daddy inadvertently breached Cricket Australia's biosecurity norms, an official told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers.
'Isn't it silly to call India-Pakistan cricket's greatest rivalry when Pakistan has won only once out of the last eight T20 World Cup encounters?'
Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson have been recalled to the squad while seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not been included in the squad.
India will still be without injured vice-captain Hardik Pandya for Thursday's World Cup match against Sri Lanka.
Captain Hardik Pandya led from the front with both bat and ball to guide Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their debut season, after they beat by seven wickets in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Since the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008, only four cricketers have played a match in all 18 IPL seasons.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was on Wednesday stretchered off the field during the Asia Cup group league encounter against Pakistan after sustaining a back injury.
Emotions often get the better of his side when facing arch-rivals India, a flaw former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif believes has cost them crucial matches in recent years.
The WAG's various avatars as she cheers hubby Hardik Pandya.
The Indian team's troubles on Sunday were compounded after all-rounder-turned-specialist batter Hardik Pandya injured his shoulder while batting during the T20 World Cup game against Pakistan, after which he did not come out to field.
