“MS Dhoni started this trend of denying singles” - Former India cricketer slams Hardik Pandya after LSG vs MI IPL 2025 match

Former India cricketer Murali Kartik has criticized Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya for keeping the strike in the final over during their 12-run loss to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. When MI required 14 runs off four deliveries, Pandy denied the strike to Mitchell Santner against Avesh Khan's bowling at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday, April 4.

Santner walked out to bat in the penultimate over during their 204-run chase after MI chose to retire out Tilak Varma (25 off 23), who was struggling to get going at the crease. Pandya reduced the equation to 16 runs needed off five balls after hitting a six off the first ball of the last over.

He retained strike after a couple off the next ball but denied a single after failing to clear the third ball of the over. With 14 runs needed off three balls, Pandya missed a delivery in the slot to seal MI's third loss of the campaign.

Murali Kartik failed to understand why Santner was not given the strike when he was sent out in place of Tilak Varma at the last minute.

"I did not understand what MI were trying to do. If you feel that Tilak is not having a good day, he is not able to strike it well, you brought in Santner, and he scored 2 runs off 1 ball. If you brought Santner in with the belief that he can hit big, then why didn't they take a single in the last over? The shots that Pandya missed, who knows, Santner could have hit them for sixes," Kartik said on Cricbuzz.

"I think MS Dhoni started this trend of denying singles. Now many players are doing this," he added.

MS Dhoni had famously kept strike in the final over during the lone T20I fixture against England in 2014 at Edgbaston. India needed 16 runs off the last over, bowled by Chris Woakes. Dhoni dispatched the first ball for a six and scored two of the next. But off the third ball, he denied a single to Ambati Rayudu at the other end and repeated the act off the penultimate ball.

Woakes responded strongly by conceding only one run off the last two balls to hand India a narrow three-run loss.

"The decision says itself why we did it" - Hardik Pandya on sending back Tilak Varma against LSG in IPL 2025

Hardik Pandya finished unbeaten on 28 runs off 16 deliveries, but it did not prove enough, as MI fell short by 12 runs in the end. The all-rounder had recorded his maiden five-wicket haul in T20 cricket after asking LSG to bat first. The Rishabh Pant-led side scored 203-8, an above-par score at the Ekana Stadium.

"If we want to take responsibility, we'd take it as a whole unit and I'll take ownership. That was obvious, we needed some hits, in cricket sometimes one of those days come when you try but it doesn't come off. The decision says itself why we did it (retire Tilak Varma out). Just play good cricket. I like to keep it simple, make better calls, take your chances in batting and play simple cricket with a bit of aggression," Pandya said during the post-match presentation (via The Times of India).

MI are next scheduled to face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, April 7. The five-time winners are currently placed seventh in the standings, with one win from four matches.