Hardik Pandya’s ‘6, 6, 6, 6, 4’ blitzkrieg destroys CSK’s newest recruit; Shreyas Iyer justifies IPL auction price
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya continued his blistering show in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament, a domestic T20 competition, as he smashed 69 runs off just 30 balls to help Baroda chase down 222 against Tamil Nadu in a last-ball thriller at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Wednesday.
Hardik walked in at No.6 for Baroda when the team was reeling at 152 for six in the 16th over of the match. However, in the very next over, he took down Chennai Super Kings’ newest recruit, Gurjapneet Singh, who earned a reputation by dismissing Virat Kohli in the nets during India’s practice session ahead of the Bangladesh Test series in September, before getting rid of Cheteshwar Pujara in Ranji Trophy the next month.
Hardik smashed him for four consecutive sixes, followed by a boundary as he amassed 29 runs in the over, which also had a no ball. His insane ball-striking reduced the equation to 36 off 18. He smashed three more sixes and three other boundaries, scoring 30 of those remaining runs to help Baroda win by seven wickets.
Hardik, who was earlier in the evening smashed for three sixes in an over by Vijay Shankar, was adjudged as the Player of the Match.
Shreyas Iyer justifies IPL auction price
Ahead of the IPL auction in Jeddah, Iyer, who was presented in the opening set for a base price of INR 2 crore, scored a thundering century for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament. After the auction, where he was signed by Punjab Kings for a whopping INR 26.75 crore, making him the second-most expensive player in IPL history, Iyer justified the price tag with another fiery batting performance, scoring 71 off 39 balls with eight fours and three sixes to lead Mumbai’s chase of 172.
Ajinkya Rahane backed his captain with a knock of 52 runs off 34 balls as Mumbai overhauled the target in 17.1 overs. The two senior batters stitched a 110-run stand for the third wicket as Mumbai beat Maharashtra by five wickets in Hyderabad.