He took two wickets in his quota of four overs.
During Mumbai Indians’ (MI) home game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash, skipper Hardik Pandya achieved another massive milestone. After Rajat Patidar lost the toss, RCB were put to bat first at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
While bowling the 15th over of the first innings, Hardik claimed two crucial wickets within three balls. He dismissed both set-batter Virat Kohli and Liam Livingstone. This double-wicket over marked a significant achievement in Hardik’s career as he reached 200 wickets in T20 cricket.
Virat Kohli, who had been in control with a steady 67 off 42 balls, looked to increase the tempo after the strategic timeout. However, he mistimed a top-edged shot off a wide delivery off Hardik. It was easily caught by Naman Dhir at deep mid-wicket. Just two balls later, Liam Livingstone, on only his second delivery, attempted a poorly executed scoop shot. The ball went straight to Jasprit Bumrah at short third man, handing him a straightforward catch and leaving Livingstone to walk back for a duck.
At that stage, Hardik’s figures read an impressive 2.5-0-15-2, playing a pivotal role in stalling RCB’s progress. His 200th T20 wicket came with the dismissal of Liam Livingstone, further cementing his reputation as a key figure and a world-class all-rounder in the shortest format of the game.
Notably, Hardik took a five-wicket haul in MI’s last game against Lucknow Super Giants. He became the first IPL captain to do so.
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RCB were comfortably placed at 143/2 just an over ago. They lost three wickets in rapid succession, causing the momentum to swing in favor of the hosts.
Despite Trent Boult drawing early blood and Jasprit Bumrah back in the attack, MI couldn’t control the flow of runs. Game-changing contributions from Virat Kohli (67), Devdutt Padikkal (37), Rajat Patidar (64), and Jitesh Sharma (40) helped RCB steer to 221/5.
MI, once again, lost their top order cheaply. Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton walked back to the dugout after making 17 runs each.
At the time of writing this report, MI have managed 59/2 at the end of seven overs. Will Jacks (17) and Suryakumar Yadav (eight) are on the crease.
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