Sports News : Hardik Pandya admitted that Mumbai Indians fell around 20 runs short in their defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders. The Mumbai captain said that if either he or Tilak Varma had stayed at the crease a little longer, the team could have had a strong chance of winning the match.
Mumbai Indians lost four wickets for just 46 runs in the powerplay. Out of the team’s eight partnerships during the innings, six were worth less than 20 runs. Mumbai eventually posted 147 runs, which KKR chased down with seven balls to spare.
Speaking after the match, Hardik said, “We were probably 20 runs short. We lost too many wickets in the powerplay. If Tilak or I had batted a little longer and built one or two good partnerships, we could have added another 15-20 runs. Then we would have had a very good chance to win the game.”
Both Hardik and Tilak struggled to score quickly during the middle overs. Hardik scored 26 runs off 27 balls, while Tilak made 20 runs from 32 deliveries. It turned out to be one of the lowest strike-rate performances in IPL history for No. 5 and No. 6 batters who faced at least 20 balls each.
Commenting on the Kolkata pitch, Hardik said he enjoys playing on wickets that offer assistance to bowlers as well.
He said, “I have no problem playing on pitches where bowlers get some help. IPL has become very batting-friendly, and bowlers often feel helpless. Today’s wicket offered something for the bowlers, which meant batters had to work hard for runs. I enjoy such challenges.”
Despite the low total, Mumbai still had a chance to make a comeback. KKR were 73 for 3 after nine overs, but Mumbai dropped two easy catches afterward. Taking advantage of those missed opportunities, Rovman Powell and Manish Pandey stitched together a match-winning 64-run partnership.
Expressing disappointment over the team’s fielding, Hardik said, “I don’t know what’s going wrong with our fielding. Throughout the season, our fielding has been poor. We’ve dropped too many catches. If you want to win matches, you have to grab every opportunity, even half-chances. But when you drop catches that can change the game, you always end up behind in the contest.”
