Hardik vs Pant: The Captain vs the Captain Duel That May Characterize The Game 47

One of the most interesting, as well as the most violent, jobs in sport is leadership in cricket. You are not just judged by results but rather inspire people, make decisions during difficult situations and carry others on your shoulders in a case when eleven persons have collectively failed. Tonight in the Wankhede Stadium, Diamond Exchange fans  will see two of their most prominent and polarising captains of Indian cricket teams, face each other across 22 yards of hard red soil - Hardik Pandya of Mumbai Indians and Rishabh Pant of Lucknow Super Giants. 

Mumbai Indians

Pandya has been unsatisfactory with both the bat and ball making him a poor player. The numbers are, however, not the complete story. Pandya is a captain who displays his feelings openly, who seems to bear the losses personally, and who has been openly angry with his side and their inability to perform. It might be a pivot point tonight not just that of MI but that of the personal story of Pandya this IPL. A match winning performance with head or ball may be the first step in regaining the faith that many fans have lost in him.

The batting strength of MI is still on paper mighty: Rickelton, Jacks, Naman Dhir and Pandya himself play in the middle order. With three or four players like these going off pursuant to a weekly 4 innings theorizing against Mumbai by 4 innings would be a nightmare for any team in the world. The problem has been group failures - instances when the whole top half collapses in rapid intermittence, leaving the tail uncovered. Possibly this level of excitement, at home, on the season on the line, could actually be the night everything finally comes into focus when it comes to MI.

Lucknow Super Giants

Rishabh Pant is a cricketer who has defied fate in the most literal understanding of the word - his recovery following a near death road accident and his comeback to international cricket is one of the most remarkable stories in the history of sport. Pant plays freely on the field, playing instinctively, and not being bound by traditional strategies. That freedom this season appears to have been sealed in by the burden of captaincy and the task of getting LSG back out of their stutter. 

His batting has not been provided with the type of acceleration necessary in the middle of the overs, and opponents have used defensive fields which are particularly designed to suppress his favorite attacking lines. But Pant at his best is unpredictable, he plays on borrowed time, he sets himself off in an over, he sets the ball rolling in half a ball, he delivers in a planing motion, and he misses one ball only to land the next one out of the air and on the track.

Despite the performance of the team, the LSG bowling unit is indeed very competitive. The nightmare to any batting line is having Mohammed Shami bowling in excellent rhythm. Swing by Mohsin Khan and pace by Mayank Yadav provide LSG with a multi-dimensional attack that, perhaps, could be used to exploit the susceptible top order of MI, on a wicket on which the quick bowlers can reach with ease early on.

The Stadium

Wankhede Stadium is not just a cricket field- it is an experience. Noise projected by a full Wankhede crowd especially when the Mumbai Indians are playing has a physical dimension to it. It beats against your body, it encloses you, gets into your head. Visiting players regularly cite the Wankhede atmosphere as one of the most challenging in world cricket. The crowd in the midst of which Rishabh Pant and his LSG team will be tonight will be nothing short of an outright hostility. The pitch must be reasonably straight, with good pace and bounce early before establishing itself in a high scoring surface further into the evening and you can enjoy using your Diamondexch ID.

Predicted Winner

In the one-on-one of the captain, the home advantage and the atmosphere of the crowd of Wankhede give Hardik Pandya an advantage this evening. It is predicted that MI will win, with an overall performance of their batting and an inspirational Bumrah on his home ground.