Mumbai Indians (MI) suffered a comprehensive 24-run defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday (May 3).
It was MI’s eighth defeat in 11 games this season and their chances of qualifying for the playoffs are now all but over.
Ahead of IPL 2024, the five-time champions sacked Rohit Sharma as captain and handed the leadership baton to Hardik Pandya, who completed a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans late last year.
In the initial few matches, Hardik was at the receiving end of the fans' wrath, with constant booing and jeering. Moreover, his poor form with bat and ball has also been under constant scrutiny.
Despite all the negative chatter around him and the franchise, Hardik Pandya is still high in spirits and he intends to fight till the end.
"You keep fighting, that's what I keep telling myself. Never leave the battlefield, tough days come but good also come here. It's challenging, but you take the challenges and they make you better," Hardik said at the post-match presentation.
Chasing 170 to win, MI’s innings folded for 145 in 18.5 overs against KKR. Suryakumar Yadav waged a lone battle with the bat as he scored 56 off 35 balls while no other batter managed to touch the 30-run mark.
"There are a lot of questions that will take time to answer. But for now, not much to say. Obviously, we couldn't form partnerships and kept losing wickets. Bowlers did a fantastic job on this track," the MI captain added.
On the other hand, Hardik’s KKR counterpart Shreyas Iyer expressed delight that his team is on the verge of a play-off berth.
"We are (knocking at the door) at the moment. Lot of thinking would have gone behind that (had we lost today). Just got to know about the stat (of KKR not winning at Wankhede for 12 years)... "
The "Impact Player" rule benefitted KKR immensely against KKR as Manish Pandey, who came in at the fall of the fifth wicket, smashed 42 off 31 balls.
"This Impact Player rule specifically helped us in this game. Manish has being eyeing an opportunity from the first game. We got to a commendable total. I told the boys that if we have got here, we can defend it," Iyer said.
(With PTI Inputs)
