Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya felt that a shaky start and a failure to rein in the closing overs ultimately swung the match as his side slipped to a 30-run defeat against Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. The loss left MI short in the end, while RR’s victory pushed them to the top end of the race for the playoffs.
Quick facts
- Match: Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians
- Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
- Result: RR won by 30 runs
- RR points: 16, overtaking Punjab Kings
- Playoff confirmation: RR qualified for the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Mullanpur
- MI finish: ninth place with eight points from four wins
- RR innings: 205/8
- MI innings: 175/9 in 20 overs
- Archer’s figures: 3/17
With the win, Rajasthan Royals reached 16 points, moving past Punjab Kings and securing their spot in the Eliminator. Their next assignment is against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Mullanpur. Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, ended the campaign in ninth place, managing eight points from four victories.
Pandya’s take: powerplay wickets and late over control
Speaking after the defeat, Pandya acknowledged that the target was reachable, but said the chase was derailed by the early wicket losses in the powerplay. He also pointed to the conditions, noting it was quite hot, before adding that his team had done some things well—but not enough to stay on top of the required run-rate.
“I think 10–15 runs (the more we gave with the ball). It was quite hot as well, but we did a pretty good job,” Pandya said. He explained that the chase was “catch-up” from early on, and that once he came in, the ball was behaving in a similar way to the way it had during the other innings.
Pandya suggested the pitch was settling in for batting, but insisted the key was execution—holding shape and picking the right cricketing shots. He felt that while the surface offered help, Mumbai’s batting collapse in the initial phase meant they were always chasing momentum rather than a clean plan.
He then underlined Rajasthan’s effectiveness in the death overs, arguing that the difference was boundaries conceded late in the innings. According to Pandya, if a team can prevent one or two scoring shots in that final five-over window, it can usually keep the opponent 12–15 runs lower.
“Death overs are always difficult… if you can stop 1–2 boundaries in that five-over bracket, you’ll always be 12–15 runs short,” Pandya said. He added that the damage was visible in the last five overs, where 73 runs contributed to the game slipping away.
When asked about stretching during the contest, he responded lightly by describing his role across disciplines—batting, bowling, fielding, and even keeping—saying it was fine to have a match where he could focus simply on batting and enjoying the game.
How the match unfolded
Batting first, Rajasthan Royals posted a commanding 205/8. After a mixed start, late contributions from Jofra Archer and Ravindra Jadeja helped RR build enough momentum to reach a difficult total.
For Mumbai, the bowling unit—featuring Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur among others—managed to take key wickets and prevent Rajasthan from running away entirely. However, the defending total still demanded precision in the chase.
In reply, Mumbai suffered early blows as Archer and Nandre Burger broke through the top order. The innings slid to 49/4 during the powerplay, leaving them chasing from an uncomfortable position.
Suryakumar Yadav provided a fighting half-century, and Hardik Pandya added quick 34 runs to keep the scoreboard moving. Still, wickets kept falling at regular intervals, turning the chase into a series of short-term recoveries rather than sustained pressure.
Archer also played a major role with the ball, finishing with 3/17. Rajasthan’s bowlers then collectively limited Mumbai to 175/9 in 20 overs, completing a comprehensive win and ending MI’s hopes of a successful chase.
