MI And…? 3 IPL Captains Who Destroyed Pakistan In Champions Trophy

Aashay Chopade

Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill (IPLT20.com)Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill (IPLT20.com)

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The much-awaited India Pakistan Clash of Champions Trophy 2025, created lot of buzz as always, with fans from both nations cheering their hearts out for their country. However, it turned out to be a one-sided affair in the end, and the Men in Blue eventually won the game by six wickets, chasing down the target of 242 with ease.

The win has put India on the brink of qualication for the semis while Pakistan are in a real danger of getting knocked out. Plenty of Indian players stepped up in the game, one of them being Virat Kohli who smashed a century.

There is also IPL coming up, and all Indian cricket fans also have a keen eye on the marquee franchise tournament. There are many IPL captains who are represented India in the game and let's see who delivered under pressure against Pakistan.

1.  Hardik Pandya (MI)

Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians skipper was the best performer among all IPL captains in the game between India and Pakistan. He has always been a key player in pressure games, and in this game too, when India needed a wicket, the man delivered.

Pakistan started off the game on a positive note, scoring 41 runs in quick time and at that time it was Hardik Pandya who got the big wicket of  Babar Azam. The former Pakistan captain was looking in great touch and his wicket was crucial for India. After his wicket, Hardik Pandya, came back in the 35th over to remove Saud Shakeel, the top-scorer of Pakistan.

Shakeel was well set and if he had batted for few more overs, Pakistan would have got to a total close to 300 which could have been tricky on a slowish track. Overall, Hardik's spell of 31 runs for two wickets in eight overs was one of the game-defnining performances of the match.

2. Shreyas Iyer (PBKS)

The new captain of Punjab Kings also displayed his class and played a crucial knock of 56 from 67 balls. He made sure that India and Virat Kohli never feel the pressure during the chase and batted in his usual aggressive way, hitting five fours and a six. Thus, his knock made sure that India carry forward the momentum that Gill and Rohit set at the top of the order.

Also, had Shreyas got out early after the wicket of Gill, it would have opened the door for Pakistan to comeback in the game, and things could have got a bit tricky. Thus, Shreyas is one of the IPL captains who lived upto his billing in the big game against Pakstan.

3. Shubman Gill (GT)

The other IPL captain who came up with goods in the Pakistan game is Shubman Gill. The GT skipper continued his great form from the last few games and played some glorious shots against Pakistan's potent pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.

His knock at that top of the order eased pressure on the middle order as they could take their time, and it also played a role in Pakistan losing their confidence early in the second half. Shubman Gill hit seven fours in his knock and all those came against Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan's best bowler, and negating his threat early in the run-chase was crucial. 

Along with these three IPL captains, Axar Patel, the DC skipper, also did quite well and picked a crucial wicket with of Rizwan. He also produced brilliance on the field with two run-outs, and overall, the big Indian players made sure that their side did not face any jitters in a high-octane game.