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Faf du Plessis vs Hardik Pandya - Who Has Been The Bigger Disappointment As A Captain?

Hardik Pandya and Faf du Plessis have disappointed as skippers for their respective team in IPL 2024 [AP Photos]Hardik Pandya and Faf du Plessis have disappointed as skippers for their respective team in IPL 2024 [AP Photos]

The Mumbai Indians will be taking on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 25th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024). It will be a home game for the Mumbai Indians as the match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium on April 11th at 7:30 PM IST. 

Both Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru are struggling with their form in the tournament. The five-time champions had a terrible start to the tournament as they lost the first three matches. However, they seemed to gain a bit of rhythm in the last game against DC. On the other hand, RCB after a decent start have lost their momentum. They won a game in their first two outings, but then faced three consecutive defeats. 

The MI-RCB rivalry is one of the most celebrated battles in the league. But both the teams are currently at the bottom of the table and a large part of the fan-camp of the two teams have taken out their frustration on the respective skippers. 

So, Faf du Plessis or Hardik Pandya, who has been a bigger disappointment as a skipper? Let us find out. 


Hardik Pandya vs Faf du Plessis - IPL Captaincy Record

Players
Matches
Won
Lost
Win %
Hardik Pandya342212
64.70
Faf du Plessis31151648.39

Hardik Pandya had a great time as a leader for the GT. He captained the team for two seasons and took them to the final. But his time at the MI has not yet gone well. In the four games that he has captained for MI, he has lost three while winning a single game. 

Faf du Plessis took over the reins of RCB after the Virat Kohli era. Du Plessis has been a great leader of his national team and has a decent record in the international circuit. However, he has failed to impress at the helm of the RCB team. So far, Faf has led RCB in 31 matches and has won 15 games while losing 16. So, the overall record shows that Hardik is a better captain than Faf du Plessis in IPL. 


Hardik Pandya vs Faf du Plessis - In IPL 2024

Pandya and Faf have made some blunders as a leader in IPL 2024. Let us take a look at a few of them. 

Hardik Pandya's blunders in IPL 2024

Pandya was seen opening the bowling in the first two games of IPL 2024. When bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee, and Luke Wood are on your team, skipper Pandya's move seems like too much of a gamble. 

Akash Madhwal, with his impressive bowling skills in the IPL 2023, could have been a game-changer. However, he was not given enough opportunities to play, making way for an overseas bowler. This decision, once again, seems like a missed strategic opportunity, as Hardik could have easily played Madhwal and backed Shepherd as a finisher alongside Tim David. Shepherd's big-hitting abilities were evident in the match against DC. 

In the first few games, MI backed Naman Dhir. This young Indian all-rounder showed a lot of promise in the first match but, after that, failed to deliver. Not using Nehal Wadhera after his brilliant show in IPl 2023 was another big blunder caused by the skip of MI. 

Faf Du Plessis' blunders in IPL 2024

Vijaykumar Vyshak did a good job when he was used against KKR. But after that, Faf and the RCB management decided to drop him. It was a big strategic mistake, as he looked like the only bowler who could have been effective in this team. 

Mahipal Lomror looked like the only other batter on the RCB team who looked impressive, barring Virat Kohli. But in the last match against RR, Lomror was sidelined. Another bizarre call by Faf and RCB management. 

The bowling variations used by the players in the RCB vs KKR match suggest that the wicket assisted the slower blowers. On such a wicket, RCB decided to persist with an extra pacer instead of Karn Sharma. 

Besides these blunders, the two players have failed to perform even in their respective trades. 

Faf du Plessis has scored just 109 runs in five matches in IPL 2024 at an average of 21.80. On the other hand, Hardik Pandya has scored 108 runs in four matches and has picked up a single wicket conceding runs at an economy of 10.86. 

So, while both the skippers have made blunders, Faf du Plessis' failure as a batter has cost RCB more than Hardik Pandya's failure to deliver as an all-rounder.