Captain Hardik Pandya shows Virat Kohli-like determination

Captain Hardik Pandya shows Virat Kohli-like determination, plays the match despite 7 stitches on his eye.

Captain Hardik Pandya displayed the kind of determination similar to Virat Kohli’s, as he took the field for the match despite having 7 stitches on his right eye. The injury, which occurred just before the game, was serious enough to potentially threaten his career, but Pandya’s commitment to his team and his fighting spirit were evident as he went on to play a crucial role in Mumbai Indians’ victory.

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New Delhi: Hardik Pandya is a true warrior... This was proven during the 50th match of IPL 2025, played against Rajasthan Royals. During the toss, everyone noticed that he had an injury above his right eye, but despite that, he made a significant contribution to his team's victory. It is reported that Hardik sustained this injury during the training session before the match, and according to media reports, he received 7 stitches. Despite such an injury, his decision to play the match reflects his commitment to the team. In this match, Hardik Pandya played an explosive knock of 48* runs off 23 balls and also took 1 wicket with the ball.

Pandya’s commitment reminded fans of Virat Kohli’s determination in 2016 when, despite having 8 stitches on his hand, he played a brilliant century against Punjab Kings.

Hardik Pandya was awarded the Super Striker of the Match for his unbeaten 48-run knock against Rajasthan Royals. He shared this award with Suryakumar Yadav, who also scored an unbeaten 48 runs off 23 balls.

How was the RR vs MI match?

After losing the toss, Mumbai Indians (MI) came out to bat first and scored 217 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Ryle Rickelton. In addition to Rohit and Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav and captain Hardik Pandya played unbeaten knocks of 48 runs each.

Chasing this target, Rajasthan Royals (RR) were completely let down by their batsmen. The extent of RR's poor batting can be gauged from the fact that Jofra Archer, with 30 runs, was their highest run-scorer. The damage to Rajasthan’s batting lineup was done by Trent Boult, who took 3 wickets. Karan Sharma also claimed 3 wickets, providing similar success.