{"id":1078,"date":"2026-04-08T03:45:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T03:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/hardik-pandya-calls-for-better-mi-bowling-after-ipl-2026-loss-to-rr"},"modified":"2026-04-08T03:45:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T03:45:07","slug":"hardik-pandya-calls-for-better-mi-bowling-after-ipl-2026-loss-to-rr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/hardik-pandya-calls-for-better-mi-bowling-after-ipl-2026-loss-to-rr","title":{"rendered":"Hardik Pandya Calls for Better MI Bowling After IPL 2026 Loss to RR"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya admitted that his bowling side must raise its standards after a 27-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026 on Tuesday. With RR openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi firing on all cylinders, the visitors struggled to keep the run-rate under control and were eventually knocked out of contention.<\/p>\n

What happened in the match<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Rajasthan Royals got off to a ruthless start in the 11-over-a-side contest, with Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi putting the pressure on early.<\/li>\n
  2. Jaiswal delivered the standout knock, finishing unbeaten on 77 as RR posted 150\/3, a total that set a steep target.<\/li>\n
  3. In reply, Mumbai Indians could only reach 123\/9, falling short by 27 runs and losing for the second match in a row.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    After the game, Pandya was firm that the loss should not be pinned on the batters. He insisted the key issue lay with MI\u2019s bowling execution, arguing that in T20 cricket, games are often decided by a handful of crucial deliveries.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI would not put this game on the batting. This was definitely the bowling unit which had to take responsibility. It\u2019s T20 cricket; it\u2019s always about bowling those couple of right balls. If you look at the 27-run margin, we are talking about five good balls and five fewer sixes. If we had executed the right deliveries, we would have been in the game,\u201d Hardik said following the defeat.<\/p>\n

    He also pointed to how Rajasthan\u2019s openers effectively removed MI\u2019s ability to recover momentum. \u201cBut as I said, their openers threw us out of the game in the first couple of overs. After that, we were catching up throughout the innings and ultimately fell short,\u201d Pandya added.<\/p>\n

    Bowling woes for MI<\/h2>\n

    Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Shardul Thakur, and Deepak Chahar all had a tough outing, managing only one wicket collectively between them. Aside from Hardik, none of the bowlers kept their economy rate below 10, underlining the extent of Rajasthan\u2019s dominance across the innings.<\/p>\n

    Hardik then sharpened his message, placing the blame squarely on the bowling group\u2019s overall performance. \u201cWe didn\u2019t execute the deliveries we were supposed to. They played well, but I think our bowlers need to take responsibility. As a bowling group, we were not at all up to the mark, and they played tremendous cricket,\u201d Pandya concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya admitted that his bowling side must raise its standards after a 27-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026 on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Hardik Pandya Urges MI Bowling Improvement After IPL 2026 Loss","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Hardik Pandya reacts after MI\u2019s IPL 2026 loss to RR, urging a higher bowling standard as Rajasthan\u2019s batters dominated and sealed the 27-run win.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\nHardik Pandya Urges MI Bowling Improvement After IPL 2026 Loss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hardik Pandya reacts after MI\u2019s IPL 2026 loss to RR, urging a higher bowling standard as Rajasthan\u2019s batters 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