New Delhi: mumbai indiansThe long wait for a winning start to the IPL season finally ended at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, with the captain Hardik PandyaA heartfelt message to the bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur He came into the limelight after a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Thakur took impressive figures of 3/39 in a high-scoring game and played a decisive role in restricting Kolkata to 220/4. His performance earned him the Man of the Match award, but Pandya’s candid comments about his future added a compelling layer to the evening.“I told him this season, I said, ‘The team has jumped enough. I want you to be here for the rest of your career,'” Pandya said after the game. “He’s a character guy. He’s got a big heart. The way he carries himself, always trying to outsmart the hitters, is just awesome, really happy for him.”Thakur, who has represented seven teams during his IPL journey, can now find stability in Mumbai in his nomadic career if his captaincy goes his way. The 34-year-old has played 106 matches and taken 110 wickets while contributing valuable runs at a brisk strike rate.MI ends 13 years Opening CursePandya also reflected on the significance of the result itself, with Mumbai Indians ending a 13-year run of first-match defeat. “It’s been a long wait – 13 years is a long time. It’s great, the whole team is delighted that we’re finally able to do this,” he said.The chase was anchored by a blistering opening stand Rohit Sharma (38 minus 78) and Ryan Rickton (81 off 43), he added 148 runs to put Mumbai in firm control of the 221-run chase. Despite a brief slowdown in the middle, Pandya (18 not out) and Tilak Varma ensured that the home side crossed the finish line with five balls remaining.Earlier, Kolkata got electricity from half a century ago Ajinkya Lahani (67) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51), with Finn Allen providing the early boost. However, Thakur’s timely breakthrough stopped the visitors’ attack.
