Mumbai Indians’ head coach Mahela Jayawardene applauded captain Hardik Pandya for turning his performances around in just a year after a forgettable IPL 2024 campaign. He also said that it should keep him in good stead, and people will see a much-improved performance from him this year as well. Notably, Pandya will return to the Mumbai Indians’ playing XI for the IPL 2025 game against the Gujarat Titans on March 29 as well.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Saturday’s fixture, Jaywardene said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, “I think it’s just a game of cricket. Fans are fans and the emotions are part of it and I’m sure that everyone has gone beyond that. It’s amazing to see how the loyalty and everything works even in IPL, which is fascinating, and I’ve enjoyed that from the outside. Twelve months on, he has achieved a lot more and I’m sure everyone will see beyond what has happened last year. We can enjoy a good game of cricket and everyone can enjoy a good game of cricket.”

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While talking about Vignesh Puthur’s stellar IPL debut, Jayawardene said that they felt the youngster was talented and needed some exposure against world-class cricketers as well.

Jayawardene stated: “I wasn’t there [at the SA20]. Yes, I was part of the thought process, but I wasn’t there. It was just to get him out and expose him to cricket because we felt that there is talent and because he hasn’t played much cricket prior, give him that exposure working with some players. And that’s about it. VP is being chilled and he’s getting along with it.”