Hardik Pandya has made history by becoming the first IPL captain to take a five-wicket haul. He broke Anil Kumble’s 16-year-old record for the best bowling figures by a captain in IPL. Playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2025 match at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, Hardik finished with figures of 4 overs, 36 runs, and 5 wickets.
Hardik Pandya created a big record
Anil Kumble held the record for 16 years with his best bowling figures of 4 overs, 0 runs, and 4 wickets while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Deccan Chargers in May 2009 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Kumble also had figures of 3.3 overs, 0 runs, and 4 wickets for RCB against Deccan Chargers in the IPL 2010 match at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
JP Duminy, Shane Warne, and Yuvraj Singh are the other captains who have taken four-wicket hauls in the IPL. Before breaking the record, Hardik Pandya held the record for the best figures by an MI captain in the tournament, with 3 wickets for 31 runs in 4 overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Here are the best bowling figures by captains in IPL history:
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Hardik Pandya: 4-0-36-5, Economy 9.00, vs Lucknow Super Giants, Lucknow, 4 Apr 2025 (Mumbai Indians)
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Anil Kumble: 4-0-16-4, Economy 4.00, vs Deccan Chargers, Johannesburg, 24 May 2009 (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
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Anil Kumble: 3.3-0-16-4, Economy 4.57, vs Deccan Chargers, DY Patil, 24 Apr 2010 (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
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JP Duminy: 3-0-17-4, Economy 5.66, vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, 18 Apr 2015 (Delhi Daredevils)
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Shane Warne: 4-0-21-4, Economy 5.25, vs Deccan Chargers, Nagpur, 5 Apr 2010 (Rajasthan Royals)
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Yuvraj Singh: 4-0-29-4, Economy 7.25, vs Delhi Daredevils, DY Patil, 17 Apr 2011 (Pune Warriors)
After the match, Hardik Pandya shared his disappointment with the loss. He mentioned that bad fielding and bowling were the main reasons for their defeat against Lucknow Super Giants. He also talked about his strong bowling performance and explained more about it:
“It has been disappointing when you lose. If we have to be honest, on the field, we gave away 10-15 runs on that wicket.”
“I have always enjoyed my bowling (on his fifer). I don’t think I have many options. I try to read the wicket and try some smart options. I dont try to go for wickets. I try to bowl dot balls and let the batters take risks.”
Hardik Pandya was also frustrated with his team’s batting performance and took full responsibility for the loss. He said:
“I think as a batting unit, we fell short. We win as a team. We lose as a team. Don’t want to point someone out. The ownership has to be taken by the whole batting unit. I take full ownership.”
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When talking about the decision to retire Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya explained that they needed someone to hit boundaries, but Tilak wasn’t able to do that. He said:
“It was obvious (on Tilak being retired out). We needed some hits. In cricket, some of those days come. When you try but it doesn’t come off. Just play good cricket. I like to keep it simple. Take better calls. Be smart in bowling. Take chances in batting. Play simple cricket with some aggression. As it is a long tournament, couple of wins and we might get into the rhythm.”
