Guwahati: Hardik Pandya did not hold back in his assessment after Mumbai Indians suffered a 27-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026, placing the blame squarely on his bowling unit.
“This loss is on the bowlers”
The MI skipper made it clear that the responsibility for the defeat lay with the bowlers, not the batting lineup.
“I would not put this game on the batting. This was definitely the bowling unit which had to take responsibility,” Pandya said.
He emphasised that in T20 cricket, matches often come down to a handful of deliveries.
“We’re talking about five good balls. If we had executed better, we would have been in the game.”
RR openers took the game away
Rajasthan Royals’ explosive start proved decisive, with:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal smashing an unbeaten 77 off 32 balls
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi adding a quickfire 39 off 14 balls
The duo powered RR to a massive 150/3 in just 11 overs, putting MI on the back foot early.
MI bowlers struggle badly
The usually reliable MI attack had an off day:
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Trent Boult
- Shardul Thakur
- Deepak Chahar
Collectively, they managed just one wicket and were taken apart by RR’s aggressive batting. Apart from Pandya himself, none of the bowlers kept their economy rate under control.
“Not up to the mark”
Pandya doubled down on his criticism, stating that the bowling unit failed to execute basic plans.
“We didn’t execute the deliveries we were supposed to. As a bowling group, we were not at all up to the mark.”
Despite acknowledging RR’s strong performance, he stressed that MI’s shortcomings were the bigger factor.
Match summary
- RR: 150/3 (11 overs)
- MI: 123/9 (11 overs)
- Result: Rajasthan Royals won by 27 runs
Mumbai’s chase never gained momentum after early wickets, leaving them with their second consecutive defeat.
Conclusion
Hardik Pandya’s blunt verdict highlights growing concerns around Mumbai Indians’ bowling form. With the tournament still in its early stages, MI will need a quick turnaround to stay competitive in IPL 2026.