RR vs MI: 'Have to accept flaws...' - Hardik Pandya disappointed with Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah & others after defeat

Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians (MI) locked horns with Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 38th match of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) on Monday, April 22, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

At the toss, the coin fell in Hardik Pandya's favor and Mumbai Indians (MI) came to bat first in the match. The 5-time champions lost the top-order for 20 runs, but Tilak Varma (65) and Nehal Wadhera (49) with their 99-run partnership made sure that MI registered a decent total of 179 for 9.

Defending the total, MI bowlers failed to get an early breakthrough and RR were at 61/0 after the powerplay. They managed to dismiss Jos Buttler for 35, but Yashasvi Jaiswal remained unbeaten and slammed a sensational 104 runs to lead RR to a 9-wicket win along with Sanju Samson (38).

Speaking after the match, Hardik Pandya expressed his disappointment over the failure of the top order but was delighted with the way Tilak and Nehal stepped up. Hardik Pandya said:

"We put ourselves in trouble early on. The way Tilak and Nehal batted - that was fantastic. I don't think that when we lost a couple of wickets early we thought we would would even reach 180. We didn't finish well and that's why we were 10-15 runs short."

Hardik Pandya further criticized the Jasprit Bumrah-led bowling attack for not bowling stump-to-stump lines and giving width to players. Mumbai Indians also had an awful day on the field as they dropped many catches, which left Hardik Pandya fuming. Hardik Pandya further said:

"We had to keep it within the stumps (while bowling). Early on in the powerplay, we gave a lot of width and I don't think it was our best day in the field as well. Overall, we did not put the right foot and eventually they outplayed us."

Hardik Pandya added that they need to learn from their mistakes and work on their flaws to bounce back strong. Hardik Pandya elaborated:

"After the game, it's not the right time to go to the players, everyone is professional, they know their roles. What we can do is learn from this game and the mistakes which we have made, rectify it and make sure that we don't repeat it. Progression is very important. Within the team, individually we have to work on our flaws. I don't believe much in chip and chop, I like to back players and the focus would always be to play good cricket. Cricket is simple, as long as we keep it simple, it's nice."

Mumbai Indians' Current Position In IPL 2024 Standings And Their Previous Match Result 

Ahead of the clash against the inaugural champions - Rajasthan Royals (RR) - the Hardik Pandya-led side were at the seventh spot on the points table with three wins and six points in their bag. Now after the RR vs MI match, they have remained in the same position.

Talking about their previous match result, Mumbai Indians (MI) won an absolute nail-biter against Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 9 runs at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on April 18.

Batting first, MI managed to reach the score of 192 for 7 as Suryakumar Yadav slammed a terrific half-century and Rohit Sharma along with Tilak Varma provided him much-needed support.

Defending the target, Jasprit Bumrah (3/21) was class apart but he didn't get much support from the others as Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma took the bowlers to the cleaners. Eventually, the match entered the final over and PBKS were bowled out for 183 to hand over the victory to Hardik Pandya & Co.