Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India]: Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya admitted that his team fell short in both batting and bowling by 15-20 runs, making it tough to chase down Gujarat Titans’ (GT) total on a challenging pitch.
Speaking after MI’s 36-run defeat to GT at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Pandya acknowledged the team’s struggles against slower deliveries and highlighted basic fielding errors that proved costly.
“Tough to put it together, I think in batting and bowling we were 15-20 runs short in both places. We were not professional in the field, we made basic errors, and that cost us 20-25 runs and in a T20 game, that is quite a lot,” Pandya said during the post-match presentation.
He also praised GT’s openers, who provided a solid start. “They batted brilliantly. They were quite exceptional, they did not take many chances, they did the right stuff, and they were able to get runs without playing many risky shots. We have been doing catch-up since then.”
Regarding MI’s batting struggles, Pandya pointed out the difficulty of facing slower deliveries on the tricky surface. “On this wicket, they (slower deliveries) were the toughest balls, some were shooting, and some were bouncing, as batters it becomes difficult.”
Match Summary
After winning the toss, MI opted to bowl first. GT openers Shubman Gill (38 off 27 balls) and Sai Sudharsan (63 off 41 balls) built a strong 78-run stand, followed by a 50-run partnership between Sudharsan and Jos Buttler (39 off 24 balls). However, GT suffered a mini-collapse at the death, finishing at 196/8 in 20 overs.
Hardik Pandya (2/29) was MI’s best bowler, while Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Satyanarayana Raju took one wicket each.
In response, MI lost Rohit Sharma (8) and Ryan Rickelton early. Tilak Varma (39 off 36 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (48 off 28 balls) put up a 62-run stand, but MI lost momentum after their dismissals, finishing at 160/6 in 20 overs.
Prasidh Krishna (2/18) and Mohammed Siraj (2/34) led GT’s bowling attack, with Kagiso Rabada and Sai Kishore also contributing a wicket each.
With this victory, GT maintained their dominance over MI in Ahmedabad, securing a crucial win in the tournament.