Hardik Pandya: In the 65th match of IPL 2026, Mumbai Indians (MI) lost against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 4 wickets. MI captain Hardik Pandya looked very disappointed with the 9th defeat this season. Hardik admitted that losing more wickets in the powerplay was costly for the team.
After the match, captain Hardik said, “Yeah, I mean the match was quite fun. As a batting group we scored 20 runs less. I think we lost a lot of wickets in the powerplay, but if Tilak and I had stayed longer and we had made some more partnerships and scored 15 to 20 more runs, I think we would have had a good chance.”
Regarding the pitch, captain Hardik said, “To be honest, I have no problem in playing on such a wicket, where the bowlers have something to do. I feel that the dominance of the batsmen is increasing a lot in the IPL. The bowlers are feeling helpless. I think in this match, the bowlers were also getting help from the wicket, due to which they could bowl well.”
Hardik Pandya admitted that Mumbai Indians’ fielding was very poor throughout the season. “I think throughout the season, we have been very poor fielding. I think we have dropped a lot of catches, which obviously nobody wants to do. I mean, if you get opportunities, if you want to win games, you have to take all the opportunities, even the difficult catches,” he said.
MI’s performance under Hardik’s captaincy has been quite disappointing in IPL 2026. The team has been able to win only 4 out of 13 matches played so far this season, while the team has faced defeat in 9 matches. Mumbai Indians are already out of the race for the playoffs. MI will play its last league match of this season on May 24 against Rajasthan Royals at its home ground Wankhede.
