Hardik Pandya backs bowlers, admits “It wasn’t our day” as Mumbai Indians fall short
Hardik Pandya admits Mumbai Indians were outplayed despite scoring 243 as Sunrisers Hyderabad pull off a stunning chase at Wankhede.
Hardik Pandya admits Mumbai Indians were outplayed despite scoring 243 as Sunrisers Hyderabad pull off a stunning chase at Wankhede.
Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians will be desperate for a turnaround when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in a crucial IPL 2026 clash at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday, with their campaign hanging by a thread.
Tim David was fined for dissent after refusing to return the ball during RCB vs MI, while Hardik Pandya was penalised for a slow over-rate. Watch the incident.
Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya admitted his side’s bowling unit fell short after suffering a 27-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals in a rain-curtailed 11-overs-a-side IPL 2026 clash at the ACA Stadium here on Tuesday.
Hardik Pandya appears set for a return as five-time champions Mumbai Indians prepare to take on Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match here on Tuesday, with the all-rounder resuming training after missing the previous match against Delhi Capitals.
With results not going Mumbai Indians’ way, the public backlash only grew louder and stronger as MI crashed out from the race to the Playoffs. But times have changed, and on Wednesday, it was evident that the Hardik in India jersey is a completely different cricketer than the Hardik in MI Blues.
Pandya, now 30, was subject to boos after he was appointed the captain of the Mumbai Indians franchise, replacing five-time title winning captain Rohit Sharma, and eventually the franchise endured a last-place finish in IPL 2024.
Pandya was named as the vice-captain of the World Cup-bound team despite concerns over his form during the Indian Premier League, where his team — Mumbai Indians finished at the rock bottom of the points table.
However, in the scenario of Hardik being purchased by some other franchise in next year’s IPL mega auction, he will miss that particular team’s first game.
While Mumbai Indians were knocked out of the playoffs race long back, Lucknow Super Giants’ chances of making the last-four are hung by a thread even if they win their last league stage game here by a huge margin.
