"He's been a really good captain": Coetzee hails MI skipper Pandya

MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians (MI) seamer Gerald Coetzee heaped praise on MI skipper Hardik Pandya and said he has been a "good captain" ahead of his side's clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Hardik Pandya-led MI are already out of the playoffs after conceding eight losses from 12 matches in the tournament. In the IPL 2024 standings, MI stand in ninth place with eight points and have a net run rate of -0.212.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Coetzee said Pandya got a new style of captaincy which is unique to him. The Proteas pacer added Hardik has been motivational to the squad. "I think he's been a really good captain. I think as you get different captaincy styles, he's got a new style which is unique to him. No captain is the same, he's been really good. He's been really motivational to the guys. He's been really clear with the plans. I think he's an exceptional captain," Coetzee said.

Further, Coetzee heaped praise on star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and said he has maintained his "simplicity and accuracy" better than anyone in the tournament. "I think basically, it comes down to simplicity and accuracy and I think he's done that better than any other bowler in this competition and that's as simple as that," he added. Currently, Bumrah is the second-highest wicket-taker in the ongoing IPL 2024. He bagged 18 wickets at an average of 47.5 after appearing in 12 matches. The Mumbai-based franchise will take on KKR at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.

Mumbai Indians Squad: Ishan Kishan (Wk), Hardik Pandya (C), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Anshul Kamboj, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara, Nehal Wadhera, Shams Mulani, Shivalik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Romario Shepherd, Mohammad Nabi, Shreyas Gopal, Luke Wood, Harvik Desai, Gerald Coetzee, Arjun Tendulkar, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Kwena Maphaka.