Hardik Pandya's record as a bowler in IPL

Hardik Pandya, the frontline all-rounder for India and the Mumbai Indians, is slowly coming back to his best as a bowler after a poor start to the tournament. If Hardik is fit and bowling well, no one comes close to him in terms of providing balance to the side, both for India and in the IPL

After a horror start to the season, Hardik Pandya the captain and the bowler has come back fighting leaps and bounds in the last few games with big wickets and bowling to his strengths

Team India will need a fully fit Hardik Pandya at the T20 World Cup where he might be needed to bowl four overs at times and even though there were worrying signs at the start of the season, they have disappeared with the MI skipper taking three wickets in the last three games

In 12 matches so far, Hardik has 11 wickets to his name at an average of 29.82 and a strike rate of 16.91, which is second best since the 2018 edition

Overall in the IPL, Hardik has taken 64 wickets, bowling in 135 matches in eight seasons at an average of 32.6 and a strike rate of 21.6

Hardik didn't bowl at all in IPL 2020 and 2021 seasons because of a problematic back, which he sorted after the 2021 T20 World Cup and returned as a resurgent player and a captain for the first time in IPL for the Gujarat Titans

As a captain across all three seasons, Hardik decided to take the new ball but as the season progressed, he understood his role and responsibility as an all-rounder and has flourished in the second half across three seasons now, with the ball

The biggest positive news regarding improvement in Hardik's bowling returns is from the Indian team's perspective where he will be Rohit Sharma's deputy and the Men in Blue will want him raring to go both with bat and ball