Manish Pandey rolled back the years with a reminder that he still belongs at the highest level of the IPL. Once considered one of the league’s brightest young talents, Pandey played a defining role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ title-winning campaign in 2014, and more than a decade later, he continues to deliver when it matters. Against Mumbai Indians in a high-pressure clash on Wednesday, the 36-year-old produced a composed 45-run innings and walked away with the Player of the Match award. Coming in after early wickets had left KKR under serious pressure, Pandey steadied the chase with experience and control rather than aggression.
He absorbed the tension in the middle overs, rotated strike smartly and ensured the innings didn’t collapse under scoreboard pressure. One of the few players who has featured in the IPL since its early seasons, Pandey has often found himself overshadowed in the modern era of explosive T20 batting. Yet this innings was a clear reminder that timing, temperament and game awareness still have a place in the shortest format.
Meanwhile, a strong endorsement from veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh has added weight to Pandey’s recent resurgence, as he drew a direct comparison with Virat Kohli while praising Pandey’s fitness, longevity and continued relevance in top-level cricket. Kohli and Pandey started their cricketing journey almost at the same time as the former was also the KKR star’s skipper in the 2008Under-19 World Cup.
“His involvement is exactly like Virat Kohli’s because he is from the same group. You can call it a batch or a gang, it is the same thing. He belongs to that same batch and is just as fit. It felt very good watching him play and he played a very good innings. It is good to see him back playing games, and Manish Pandey has been around since we used to play, maybe even earlier than that. But it is good to see him,” Harbhajan said on Star Sports.
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“Manish Pandey did not lose his belief in himself”
Harbhajan lauded Pandey’s impact and mindset after his recent performance, highlighting the veteran’s self-belief, fitness and ability to step up in crucial moments when the team needed experience to guide the innings.
“He did not lose his belief in himself. He joined the team as a senior player and had to sit out, but he gave confidence to the entire group that there is still a long way to go. Manish Pandey is such a fit player that he saves runs in the fielding, and when it comes to batting, he can score runs for you. It was a very good innings. And Raghuvanshi, their main in-form batter, had to go out today due to a finger injury. So the responsibility came on this player because he is quite senior, and he has done the job very well. I am very happy about it,” he added.
