Hardik Pandya was not shy about admitting that Mumbai Indians are looking for answers after yet another setback, saying the team will “explore options” after their defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium.
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Chasing a daunting 241, Mumbai once again found themselves caught up from the very start. An early loss of momentum in the power play combined with wickets at regular intervals left them with too much work to do in the second half of the innings.
Hardik reflected on the performance and pointed out issues across both departments. “We conceded too many wickets and at the same time I think we also conceded too many runs. It was always catching up,” he said.
This theme of chasing the game was repeated. Hardik admitted that Mumbai struggled to take control early, either with the bat or the ball. “In the last few games, as a bowling unit or even as a batting unit, we’ve been catching up rather than leading,” he said.
RCB’s total of 240 revealed these problems again. Mumbai’s bowlers were unable to sustain the scoring through the middle overs, while their batting never found the sustained acceleration required in a chase of this magnitude.
Hardik emphasized that a reset is now necessary. “We really have to think, we really need to see what we can do best and how we can get the momentum and the click that we need,” he said, adding that the team will reassess the batting and bowling combinations ahead of the next game.
“There’s a lot of options that we’re going to be asking about and that are going to be explored. To be honest, there’s a lot of things that need to be rethought right now. It’s definitely not working,” he said.
The power play remains a key issue, where Mumbai consistently fall behind the opposition. “We are trying to catch up with the power bowlers both in batting and bowling,” remarked Hardik, stressing the need to start stronger.
One positive for Mumbai came in the form of Sherfan Rutherford, whose late onslaught provided some resistance. Acknowledging his influence, Hardik said Rutherford’s strength 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 he tries to find momentum and regain control of his campaign.
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– The end
Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
13 Apr 2026 04:01 IST
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