“It is gonna be a packed house” - Hardik Pandya all set for the El Clasico against CSK

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya is all set to take on the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings, their arch-rivals, in their reverse fixture at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, April 20.

Notably, the Mumbai Indians suffered a four-wicket defeat to the CSK franchise earlier this season at the M Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. They would be aiming to reverse their fortunes this time around at their home venue.

"It's gonna be a packed house. I am sure it's gonna be a great game. Just making sure we rest well for a couple of days and Sunday we see them again," Hardik said after defeating SRH on Thursday, April 17.

After winning the toss, MI entrusted SRH to bat first. Interestingly, SRH could score only 162/5 in 20 overs, thanks to the exceptional bowling skills from MI bowlers. Skipper Hardik hailed the overall bowling unit for their impressive gameplay.

"The way we bowled today was very smart and spot on. We stuck to basic plans and figured out that certain deliveries are not easy to hit. That was the game where we kind of squeezed it," Hardik added.

Later, Hardik asserted that mixing up the pace would be perfectly useful on the wicket. While Will Jacks scalped two important wickets, Hardik, Bumrah, and Boult scalped one wicket apiece. In the chase, MI took 18.1 overs to finish the game with four wickets in hand.

"It could be a good track, and had a nice greenness as well. Deepak bowled a couple of balls that stuck there. So we thought a change in pace could be useful. We were trying to mix it up. Because if you keep on bowling the slower ones again and again, the batters can line you up. We did well with the yorkers as well so they failed to get the rhythm," he concluded.

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