NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya admitted his side were “searching for answers” after another heavy defeat – a seven-wicket hammering at the hands of Punjab Kings – as the five-time champions slumped to their fourth loss in five matches to remain ninth in the IPL 2026 points table.Despite an impressive unbeaten 112 from Quinton de Kock that powered MI to 195/6, PBKS managed the chase to reach 198/3 in just 16.3 overs, extending their unbeaten run and moving to the top of the standings by nine points.“We need to go back to the drawing board”Speaking after the defeat, Pandya did not hide his frustration as MI’s struggles deepened.“To be honest, I don’t have much to say right now. I think we really have to go back to the drawing board and see where we’re lacking. Is it individuals? Is it as a group? Is it planning? We’ll just figure it out and see what we can do next,” he said.The MI skipper also hinted at potential changes in the upcoming games and emphasized the responsibility within the group.“No, I think we have to see if we need to make some tough calls or we have to go ahead and hope to turn things around. Those are some tough questions that we have to answer at the end of the day, and yes, there’s a need to take ownership.”Pandya further admitted that PBKS were better in all departments.“I think we have to give them credit as well… they just beat us. They batted better, they batted better, they definitely played better,” he added.Punjab Kings’ quiet dominance continuesPunjab captain Shreyas Iyer praised his side’s even-keeled approach and execution.“Definitely confident and upbeat the way we played. We’ve got our heads on our shoulders as well. I’m glad we came out today and got that win,” Iyer said.He also highlighted the rise of opener Prabhsimran Singh, who played a match-winning unbeaten 80 off 39 balls.“He’s definitely raised his bar… he’s been more mature this year, match-by-match he’s getting more mature,” Iyer added.Prabhsimran credited the clinical finish to his calm mindset, especially after a slow start.“I just believed in myself … I thought if I took it a little bit longer, I could play better. So I kept believing in myself,” he said.
