Mumbai Indians cricketers in action during IPL 2024© AFP
Mumbai Indians fast bowler Gerald Coetzee shattered young Mayank Yadav’s record by delivering the fastest ball of IPL 2024 during the match against Rajasthan Royals on Monday. Mayank set the record just two days ago when he delivered a 155.8 kmph ball for Lucknow Super Giants, but Coetzee surpassed his target by quite a margin. The South African international’s 157.4 kmph scorcher got into the last ball of RR’s chase and Riyan Parag was able to guide him to the third man boundary for a four. Overall, Coetzee is second behind former Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait, who delivered a 97.71mph ripper while playing for Rajasthan Royals in 2011.
Fastest deliveries in IPL history:
Shaun Tait 157.71 km/h – 2011
Gerald Coetzee 157.4 km/h – 2024
Lockie Ferguson 97.3mph – 2022
Umran Malik 157 km/h – 2022
Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya on Tuesday asserted that the former champions will not give up and will continue to fight in the ongoing IPL despite a hat-trick of defeats.
“If there’s one thing you should know about this team, we never give up. We keep fighting, we keep going,” Hardik wrote on X.
Hardik has been facing the wrath of fans since he replaced Rohit Sharma as MI captain. The all-rounder was booed in the team’s first two matches and the crowd’s hostility was at its peak in MI’s first home match of the season on Monday.
To add to the woes, MI’s 2024 IPL campaign under his captaincy got off to a disastrous start as they sat bottom of the table after three defeats on the trot.
However, MI are known to be perennial slow starters. In 2015, they lost their first four games before winning the title.
Questions have also been raised about Hardik’s poor captaincy – whether it was down to giving the new ball to Bumrah or sending Tim David ahead against Gujarat Titans.
The change in captaincy is not well received by the legions of MI supporters. On Monday, chants of ‘Rohit Rohit’ filled the Wankhede, with the Indian captain himself asking the crowd not to boo Hardik.
Mumbai Indians play Delhi Capitals at home on Sunday.
(With PTI inputs)
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