Rohit Sharma reveals Hardik Pandya is 'unlikely' to bowl in the IPL final vs Delhi

With the Mumbai franchise reaching yet another final of the IPL, Rohit Sharma & Co. will be raring to land their hands on another piece of silverware on Tuesday night when they face Delhi. While Delhi have had a tournament filled with ups and downs, Mumbai on the other hand, have seamlessly cruised into the finale barring some minute hiccups. The power-packed squad of Mumbai has covered all bases with several players stepping up to the occasion whenever required by the team. 

Likewise, Mumbai will be expecting their big guns comprising of Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav amongst others to fire on Tuesday. While Pandya has been cracking with the bat, jolting some severe blows towards the end, he has been unable to perform with the ball due to his back injury. The ace all-rounder has refrained from taking up the ball as he is yet recovering from the back injury he sustained back in 2019. 

'It would've been great'

With the title of champions on line, one might expect Pandya to weave magic with the ball on Tuesday, however, skipper Rohit Sharma has made it clear that it is 'unlikely' to happen. The Mumbai skipper has informed that Hardik Pandya is not 'comfortable' to bowl at the moment and that the team has left the decision up to him. 

Addressing a press conference on the eve of the finale, "We’ve had his assessment after every 3-4 games. We’ve spoken to him about what he wants to do. He’s not comfortable at the moment to bowl. We’ve left all the decision on him. If he feels comfortable, he will be happy to bowl. At the moment, he’s not feeling comfortable."

“He’s got some niggle going. It would have been great to have him bowl. Throughout this season we have given him that cushion of being in that comfort zone and making sure that he takes care of his body and he has done that really well. Hardik to us is very important as a player. His batting has been really key for us in making it to the final. So, as long as he bats, I am happy,” Rohit added. 

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