Hardik Pandya did not shy away from admitting that Mumbai Indians are searching for answers after another setback, saying the team will “explore options” following their defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium.
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Chasing a daunting 241, Mumbai once again found themselves playing catch-up from the outset. The early loss of momentum in the powerplay, combined with wickets at regular intervals, left them with too much to do in the latter half of the innings.
Reflecting on the performance, Hardik pointed to issues across both departments. “We lost too many wickets and at the same point of time, I think we conceded way too many runs as well. That was always going to be catch-up,” he said.
That theme of chasing the game has been a recurring one. Hardik admitted that Mumbai have struggled to take control early, whether with bat or ball. “In the last couple of games, as a bowling unit or even as a batting unit, we’ve been catching up rather than leading the game,” he said.
RCB’s imposing total of 240 exposed those issues once again. Mumbai’s bowlers were unable to contain the scoring through the middle overs, while their batting never found the sustained acceleration required in a chase of that magnitude.
Hardik stressed that a reset is now necessary. “We really need to reflect, really need to see what best we can do and how we can get that momentum and that click which we require,” he said, adding that the team will reassess both batting and bowling combinations ahead of their next fixture.
“There are a lot of options which will be asked and explored. To be very honest, now a lot of things need to be rethought. Definitely, it’s not working,” he said.
A key concern remains the powerplay, where Mumbai have consistently lagged behind the opposition. “We are kind of trying to catch up in the powerplay in both batting and bowling,” Hardik noted, underlining the need to start stronger.
One positive for Mumbai came in the form of Sherfane Rutherford, whose late onslaught provided some resistance. Hardik acknowledged his impact, saying Rutherford’s power gives the team “extra cushion” and flexibility going forward.
Despite the lossthe message from the Mumbai camp is clear. Changes are on the horizon as they look to find momentum and regain control of their campaign.
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