Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya hugs Shardul Thakur during the match against Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo credit: IPL) NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians’ long wait for a winning start to the IPL season finally came to an end at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, with captain Hardik Pandya’s heartfelt message for all-rounder Shardul Thakur stealing the limelight after a commanding six-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Thakur, who returned impressive figures of 3/39 in the high-scoring contest, was instrumental in restricting Kolkata to 220/4. His performance earned him the Man of the Match award, but it was Pandya’s candid remark about his future that added a compelling layer to the evening.
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Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard address MI fans at Aamchi Mumbai “I told him this season, I said, ‘enough hopping franchises. I want you to be here for the rest of your career’,” Pandya said after the match. “He’s a character. He’s got a big heart. The way he comes out and always tries to outwit the batsmen, it’s just great and really happy for him.”Having represented seven franchises on his IPL journey, Thakur’s nomadic career could now find stability in Mumbai if his captaincy comes through. The 34-year-old has appeared in 106 matches, picking up 110 wickets while contributing valuable lower-order runs at a quick pace.MI ends at 13 years opening match jinxPandya also reflected on the significance of the result itself as Mumbai Indians snapped a 13-year losing streak in the opening match. “It’s been a long wait — 13 years is a long time. Very happy, the whole team is very happy that we finally did it,” he said.The chase was anchored by a blistering opening stand between Rohit Sharma (78 off 38) and Ryan Rickelton (81 off 43) who added 148 runs to put Mumbai firmly in control by 221 runs. Despite a brief slowdown in the middle overs, Pandya (18 not out) and Tilak Varma ensured the hosts crossed the line with five balls to spare.Earlier, Kolkata were powered by half-centuries from Ajinkya Rahane (67) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51), with Finn Allen providing the first impetus. However, Tagore’s timely interventions prevented the visitors from pushing out of reach.
