Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya spoke about the loss against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He admitted that it was a chaseable target for them and also gave credit to MS Dhoni for changing the game for his team.
Mumbai Indians suffered their fourth defeat of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as they faced a 20-run loss against the Chennai Super Kings at their home venue at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. They did not perform well with bat and ball and were trailing for most of the game.
With the ball, they gave away 206 runs with the bat while their players were taken to the cleaners. Captain Hardik Pandya picked 2 wickets but had an economy of over 24. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Nabi, all players had an economy of over 8.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (69), Shivam Dube (66) and MS Dhoni (20*) were the stars of the night with the bat for Chennai Super Kings. Based on their fun effort with the bat, they finished with a total of over 200, despite losing wickets early on.
Mumbai Indians got off to a great start with the bat as Ishan Kishan (23) and Rohit Sharma 105*) played well and added 70 runs. But after that, no other batsman played much of a supporting role for Rohit, who scored a blistering century at the Wankhede Stadium.
They finished with 186 runs and lost the game by 20 runs. For Chennai Super Kings, Matheesha Pathirana was the pick of the bowlers. He returned with figures of 4/28 in his 4 overs and tilted the match in favor of his team.
Hardik Pandya admitted that Matheesha Pathirana’s introduction changed the game for them and added that the entire Chennai Super Kings team was smart with their plans. Speaking about the same during the post-match presentation, he explained:
“It (the target) was definitely achievable, but they played quite well. Pathirana was the difference. They were smart with their plans and their approach. They mastered it, there is a man behind the stumps (Dhoni) who tells them what is happening.” The pitch was holding up a little and it was getting tough. “It was about hitting well and staying intentional.”
You need to play good cricket and keep the intensity high – Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya admitted that they should have tried different things in the game. He also talked about his plans with Shivam Dube and concluded by saying that they need to keep the intensity high. He explained:
“We were going pretty well (in the run chase) until Pathirana came into the attack and took those two wickets. It was about what was best at that time, we could have done something different. I like playing percentage cricket, it would be better.” difficult for him (Dube) against closers than against spinners. “We are away from home for the next four matches, we need to play some good cricket and keep the intensity high.”
Mumbai Indians will next be seen in action when they take on Punjab Kings on Thursday (April 18).
