Hardik Pandya’s disappointment was evident after Mumbai Indians’ loss to Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Wednesday, with sloppy moments in the field playing a major role in the outcome. After MI finished their innings on 147/8 in 20 overs, they created chances but did not convert them at key stages, allowing KKR to stay in the contest and ultimately pull off a four-wicket win.
How the match swung
- Mumbai Indians posted 147/8 in their allotted 20 overs after being sent in by Ajinkya Rahane, who won the toss and chose to field.
- Kolkata Knight Riders then defended the total on a difficult Eden Gardens surface, with Sunil Narine’s bowling once again proving decisive.
- In the field, MI had chances early, but crucial opportunities went begging rather than being taken when they mattered most.
- Frustration rose sharply in the 10th over when KKR’s Rovman Powell struck a pull shot off Hardik Pandya and top-edged it.
- Deepak Chahar, stationed at fine leg, looked set to complete the catch but hesitated and let it go, with Robin Minz coming in from deep square leg instead.
- The ball ultimately landed safely between the two fielders, underlining the gap in execution at a crucial moment.
Speaking after the match, Hardik Pandya pointed directly to MI’s ongoing fielding struggles. “(What was going on in the field?) I don’t know. I think throughout the season, we’ve been quite poor in fielding. I think we have dropped a lot of catches, which obviously no one wants to do it. But in that part of the game, I think there is no hiding away,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of taking every opportunity, especially when the game is balanced. “I think if you get chances, if you want to win games, you need to grab all the chances, even half chances as well. But yeah, when you drop chances which can change the game, it’s always you are chasing the game,” Pandya added.
Playoff pressure and Pandya’s captaincy run
For KKR, the victory kept their playoff hopes alive in the tight season race. Chasing with intent, they completed the chase with a disciplined effort to restrict the already-eliminated five-time champions to 147/8.
The result also extended a tough captaincy trend for Pandya: it was the third time he had lost four consecutive IPL matches as captain.
When asked whether the side was around 20 runs short, Pandya responded that the batting group felt the deficit, while also indicating that staying longer at the crease could have changed the game. “(Were you about 20 runs short?) Yeah, I mean, quite entertaining. Definitely as a batting group, we were 20 short. I think we lost a lot of wickets in powerplay, but if Tilak and I would have stayed longer, and we had stitched a couple of more partnerships and got those 15-20 runs, I think we would have had a decent chance,” he said.
