Captain Hardik Pandya called out his bowlers plainly, following the Mumbai Indians’ 27-run loss to the Rajasthan Royals under wet skies on Tuesday. Rain held things up for more than two hours before play began. Choosing to take the ball early backfired when the Royals piled up 150 in a match cut short by the weather.
Looking back at the match, Hardik Pandya pointed to his bowlers' poor early execution. Not just the plan slipped, but timing too went off track when it mattered most. Credit goes to the rival openers; they came hard, no doubt. Still, responsibility lies within our own pace group; someone has to stand up. “We were not up to the mark as a bowling unit. If we had executed better, we would have been in the game,” he said, adding that the defeat was not on the batting lineup.
“We were not up to the mark as a bowling group”: Hardik Pandya reflects on defeat
Off to a rocket start, Rajasthan owed their edge early to young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, linking up fast with Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top. 80 runs piled on within five overs, Mumbai never got a grip after that surge. Through sheer aggression, Sooryavanshi blasted 39 in only 14 balls before stepping aside. Still standing tall, Jaiswal closed at 77 not out from 32, with timing, power, and zero hesitation.
Fresh off watching Sooryavanshi, Hardik Pandya couldn’t help but highlight how calm he stayed under pressure, even with so little time in the game. On Sooryavanshi, Hardik Pandya said, "Quite fascinating to see a 17 or 16-year-old boy (15-year-old) play that way. Amazing to see the way he bats, the fearlessness he has. Wish him good luck for the future."
Riyan Parag, leading the Rajasthan Royals, called the Jaiswal-Sooryavanshi duo top of the list when it comes to openers in this event. Instead of just praising them, he pointed out how they stand above others through steady output. “Number one. They have got age on their side. Vaibhav is incredible. It is not one-way slogging. Jaiswal has been doing it for 3-4 years now. The skill they have plus their maturity make them the best going around.
"We have a strong and young core. Hopefully, we can keep on performing like this."
Out there on the field, Yashasvi Jaiswal, awarded Player of the Match, took a moment to talk about staying in sync with Sooryavanshi, how it kept them moving fast. Instead of holding back, they pushed forward, feeding off belief more than caution. When asked about his mindset, he mentioned watching bowlers closely, reading each moment before deciding who to go after early in the innings. That quick phase at the start, he had mapped it out, picking when and where to strike.
Facing forward, Hardik Pandya kept hope alive by saying the group would come back together after reviewing errors, then train smarter before playing again.
