Hardik Pandya's form has been fluctuating, but he is a player who can change things quickly: Ashish Nehra

Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra feels that Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are two units that have consistently managed to look strong over the years in the IPL. He reckoned that Mumbai Indians have been a team that have kept their focus on building a team from the start, which is why they have all bases covered.

“When does it happen that you feel Mumbai and Chennai Super Kings do not look dangerous? They always look dangerous, keeping aside any rare off chance,” he told Cricbuzz.

“Mumbai Indians has been a team that has worked extremely hard to make this team. What makes them the strongest unit is that they have good players in every column. You speak of pacers, batters, spinners, they have brilliant players in every column.”

“So, they are a unit that every single team needs to be wary of,” he added.

Nehra also pointed out even if Hardik Pandya does not complete his full quota of four overs, Mumbai India must try and utilize him for two or three overs on a regular basis. Although what his team, as per Nehra, would want him to deliver from is the bat.

“Everyone has their eyes on him [Hardik Pandya]. I am not saying that he must always bowl all four overs, but if he can complement Kieron Pollard and bowl a couple of overs, that will be a huge plus for the team.”

“With the bat, he is an impact player. His form has been fluctuating over the last year, but he is a player who can change things quickly. So, Mumbai Indians would really want him to fire.”

Mumbai Indians resume their 2021 campaign against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings on September 19. The 14th edition of the league was marred by Covid-19 and had to be abruptly halted on May 4 owing to the increasing cases inside the bio-secure environment.

The resuming league phase of the tournament is supposed to run until October 8, with the first qualifier scheduled on October 10. The Eliminator, second qualifier and the final will be played on October 11, 13 and 15, respectively. Incidentally, the T20 World Cup 2021 starts only two days after the IPL final.