Hardik Pandya is not trying to impose his personality on his team, that will be his legacy: Sunil Gavaskar

In the first doubleheader on April 29 in IPL 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders face Gujarat Titans while Delhi Capitals will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the evening encounter. Rinku Singh's heist in the final over against Yash Dayal will be on the minds of captain Hardik Pandya as GT lock horns with KKR at Eden Gardens in the reverse fixture.

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar is mighty impressed with the way Hardik has led Gujarat Titans. The India all-rounder has led by example and helped GT return to the winning track despite the team losing some close encounters, which tend to dent the morale of the teammates.

Praising the Baroda cricketer for his inspiring leadership qualities, Gavaskar said Hardik is going to leave a lasting legacy in IPL with his captaincy.

"Sometimes the captains try to keep their personality and the team's personality the same. The personality of the captain and the team could be different. Hardik is not trying to impose his personality on the team. That's what Hardik is doing with GT. This is going to be his legacy as a skipper. He's very similar to MS Dhoni in his approach as captain and imbibed the good qualities from his former India skipper," said Gavaskar while speaking on Star Sports' Cricket Live.

Nitish Rana-led KKR arrested the slide with their emphatic win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at M Chinnaswamy in the reverse fixture. The team should gain a lot of confidence after completing the double against RCB and ending the four-game losing streak.

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh - while reflecting on KKR's struggle in  IPL 2023 - said Andre Russell's form is a concern for the team. "The biggest reason for KKR's struggle this season is the batting form of Andre Russell. Russell is struggling big-time this season and till he fires, KKR will find themselves in the bottom half of the points table. Russell's problem is technical. He and the coaching staff need to sit down and address it.," said Harbhajan.

Delhi Capitals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the latter's backyard in their last game. David Warner & Co. will be looking to produce a similar result later tonight in the reverse fixture at Arun Jaitley Stadium. All-rounder Axar Patel has been the vital cog in Delhi Capitals' wheel in  IPL and the India cricketer - who was the player of the match in the last game - will once again play a crucial role for DC.

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan hailed the rise of Axar Patel and backed the Gujarat cricketer to be the next captain of Delhi Capitals due to his ability to perform well in every department.

"Axar Patel is a proper all-rounder. He varies his deliveries very well and picks up crucial wickets whenever the team requires him. He plays mature knocks and is an equally good fielder. I see him as a potential captain for Delhi Capitals," said Pathan.