Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians suffered their third consecutive defeat in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season on Monday (1 April). Against a high-flying Rajasthan Royals outfit, the five-time champions sustained a six-wicket defeat, and skipper Pandya has admitted his fault in the loss.
Having helped his team avert what could have been an embarrassing all-out in front of their supporters at the Wankhede Stadium, Pandya lost his wicket when he had already found his footing and was batting on 34.
I think we were in a decent position to give us a chance to get to 150 or 160. But my wicket changed the game and allowed them to get back more in the game. I think I could have done better. I needed to do a lot more.Hardik Pandya
The Low-Down
Top-order collapse had a major role in play in Mumbai’s defeat, as they lost four wickets inside the first four overs. Trent Boult dismissed former skipper Rohit Sharma and youngster Naman Dhir on consecutive deliveries in his first over, whilst in his second over, he got the wicket of Dewald Brevis, who came as an impact substitute to mitigate the calamity.
Notably, all three of those batters – Sharma, Dhir and Brevis – were dismissed on golden ducks.
In the fourth over, Nandre Burger dismissed Ishan Kishan, and at that stage, Mumbai Indians were reeling at 20/4. However, they did manage to claw their way back into the game, courtesy of a 56-run fifth-wicket stand between Pandya and Tilak Varma.
The former looked in sublime touch during today’s encounter, scoring a 21-ball 34, which included six boundaries. Pandya lost his wicket in an attempt to send Yuzvendra Chahal to the cleaners in the tenth over, which eventually accelerated Mumbai’s collapse as none of the batters succeeding him could offer any resilience.
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