Written by Vaibhav Tripathi
Irfan Pathan, the former India all-rounder, reckoned that family ties would not come into play when the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans face the Krunal Pandya-led Lucknow Super Giants at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 7. The Pandya brothers will be leading their teams in a crucial game that will also be their first encounter against each other as captains.
Hardik led Gujarat to IPL glory in 2022, and his team are once again riding high at the top of the table. Lucknow are third, and Krunal was handed the captaincy reins after injury ruled KL Rahul out of the rest of the season.
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“It will be a brother vs brother contest as captains in the IPL,” said Irfan on Star Sports’ Cricket Live show. “The cricket fraternity is happy with the way the Pandyas have progressed, but when GT is playing at home, it will be hungry to win. Then brother will not remain brother. Then, they will be a member of an opposing team.”
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In the very first season of the IPL in 2008, Irfan – who was representing Kings XI Punjab – had come up against Yusuf, his elder brother, whose Rajasthan Royals team went on to win the competition.