Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya expressed his disappointment following their defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The match, held at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, saw RCB dominate MI in a high-scoring encounter, successfully defending a massive total of 222 runs.
Under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, RCB has been rewriting history this season. After ending their 17-year-long drought against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk, they have now secured their first victory over MI at Wankhede in a mere 10 overs. Despite a valiant effort from Tilak Varma and skipper Hardik Pandya, MI fell short in their chase.
Hardik Pandya’s Honest Assessment
Reflecting on the game, Hardik Pandya acknowledged the tough challenge posed by RCB’s formidable total. He remarked,
“It was a run-fest. The wicket was really good. I was just telling myself that we fell short by just two hits. I don’t have much to say.”
When asked whether the target of 222 was par or above-par, Pandya admitted that the pitch was extremely favorable for batting, offering little assistance to the bowlers. He emphasized the importance of execution in such conditions, stating,
“The way the wicket was, the bowlers didn’t really have much place to hide. It came down to execution. You can stop the batters, but I don’t want to be harsh on the bowlers. It was a tough track; we did not have many options.”
Changes in Batting Order and Rohit Sharma’s Return
One of the key talking points from the match was the return of Rohit Sharma. The veteran opener had played the first three matches of the season but struggled to make an impact, scoring 13 against CSK, 8 against Gujarat Titans, and a duck against Kolkata Knight Riders. He missed MI’s previous match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) but returned for this crucial encounter against RCB as an impact player.
Rohit entered the field in the 15th over of RCB’s innings and later opened MI’s batting. Although he managed a quick 17 off 9 balls, including two fours and a six at a striking rate of 188.89, his innings was short-lived.
Addressing the batting order adjustments, Pandya explained,
“In the last game, Ro wasn’t available, so we had to push someone up. He has a multi-dimensional game, where he can play at the top and in the death overs as well. Once Ro was back, we knew that Naman would have to come down.”
Tilak Varma’s Performance and Injury Concerns
Tilak Varma was one of the standout performers for MI in the match. After an underwhelming previous outing, where his absence raised questions, Pandya clarified that Tilak had suffered a significant injury ahead of that match.
“Last game, a lot of things happened. People said a lot of things about it, but they don’t know that he had a very nasty hit the previous day. It was a tactical call. The coach felt that someone fresh should come in. Today, he was fantastic.”
Despite his efforts, MI struggled to maintain momentum in the crucial powerplay phase, which ultimately hampered their chase.
“In this sort of game, powerplays are very crucial. We were not able to get in the middle, and that put us back in the chase. It comes down to execution in the death overs, and we were not able to play those balls.” Pandya remarked.