“It's important to give people space, reaction was over the top" - Parthiv Patel slams Krunal Pandya for Kieron Pollard send-off during LSG vs MI IPL 2022 clash

Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel was not too pleased with the send-off Krunal Pandya gave Kieron Pollard during the IPL 2022 match between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday (24 April). Patel opined that Krunal could have shown some empathy towards his "good friend" considering Pollard has been having a tough time with the bat.

LSG defeated MI by 36 runs in the IPL 2022 clash at the Wankhede Stadium. Krunal had a good game with the ball, claiming three wickets, including that of Pollard in the last over of the match. After dismissing the West Indian batter, Krunal jumped on his back and planted a kiss on his head. Pollard did not react and continued walking towards the MI dugout.

Sharing his views on Krunal’s antics, Patel told Cricbuzz that the LSG all-rounder’s reaction was one that should have been avoided. He said:

“Krunal and Pollard are very good friends, but things are different on the field. Pollard has not been scoring runs. Also, Mumbai have also been on a losing spree. It’s important to give people space at that point. In the dressing room, you can have as much banter as you want for the whole year. But, I feel this reaction was over the top.”

Apart from Pollard (19 off 20), Krunal also dismissed Daniel Sams (3) in the last over of the match. He had earlier claimed the wicket of Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma and finished with impressive figures of three for 19.

Pollard, 34, has had a poor IPL 2022 season with the bat. In eight matches, he has scored 115 runs at a strike rate of 127.78.

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“What if he had turned back and reacted” - RP Singh on Krunal’s send-off

Former Indian left-arm seamer RP Singh echoed similar sentiments as Parthiv on Krunal’s Pollard send-off. According to him, things could have gotten ugly had the dismissed batter reacted. Singh stated:

“Nobody likes losing. When a player is not doing well, one should avoid such things. You don’t know what emotions he is going through. What if he (Pollard) had turned back and reacted. He was walking back disappointed at being unable to win matches and that reaction (from Krunal) was definitely too much.”

Earlier in the match, Pollard had dismissed Krunal for just one. The bowler reacted by standing beside the batter and performing a Kylian Mbappe-style folded-arms celebration.