Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya shared his thoughts after MI’s close-fought defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Wankhede Stadium in Match 20 of IPL 2025. Despite a strong middle-order fightback, MI fell short by 12 runs while chasing a target of 222.
The Rajat Patidar-led RCB continued its trend of breaking long-standing records, securing their first win at Wankhede in 10 years, having already defeated Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk earlier this season after a 17-year drought. This win places them firmly in the top three on the points table.
Hardik Pandya on MI’s Performance: “We Fell Short With Two Hits”
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Hardik didn’t mince words about MI’s shortcomings:
“It was a run-fest. The wicket was really good. I was just talking about that to myself—that again we fell short with two hits. I don’t have much to say.”
When asked if 221 was a par score, he added:
“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.”
Hardik also addressed the batting order shuffle, particularly the use of Naman Dhir at No. 3:
“The original skeleton of our team—Naman—was always batting down the order. In the last game, Ro (Rohit Sharma) wasn’t available, so we had to push someone up. Someone like Naman has a multi-dimensional game. Once Ro was back, we knew that Naman would go back down.”
Tilak Varma’s Form and Tactical Call Clarified
Tilak Varma impressed with a fighting 56, and Hardik clarified why he wasn’t part of the previous match’s XI:
“Tilak was fantastic. Last game, a lot of things happened. People said a lot of things about it, but they don’t know he had a very nasty hit the previous day. It was a tactical call. Because of the finger injury, the coach felt it was better to go with someone fresh.”
Rohit Sharma’s Return as Impact Player
Rohit Sharma, who missed the previous game, returned as an Impact Player, coming onto the field in the 15th over of the RCB innings. Opening the chase, he scored a quick 17 off 9 balls, including two fours and a six, striking at 188.89. However, his early dismissal again left MI exposed at the top.
Jasprit Bumrah’s Comeback and Leadership Insight
Hardik also praised Jasprit Bumrah, who returned to action and bowled a disciplined spell of 0/29 in four overs:
“Having him (Bumrah) makes any team in the world very special. He came in and did his job; we were very happy to have him.”
Closing on an optimistic note, the MI skipper encouraged belief within the camp:
“In life, never back down, and always see the positive side of it. Go out there, try to play the best cricket of your life and back yourself. We are all backing them, just hope for the result to come our way.”
Also See :Krunal Pandya’s Final Over Heroics Seal RCB’s 12-Run Win Over MI At Wankhede