On May 3, 2026, in Bengaluru, Hardik Pandya addressed the media after his team, the Mumbai Indians, suffered a disappointing loss to the Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets. This defeat marked Mumbai’s seventh loss in nine matches during IPL 2026, leaving them struggling at the bottom of the points table.
In this match, Mumbai posted a total of 159 runs for 7 wickets over their allotted 20 overs. Pandya expressed his disappointment clearly: “This is not our season. They played better than us.” The batting unit failed to deliver, and he acknowledged that they needed to score between 180-190 runs to be competitive on that pitch.
The Chennai Super Kings have made a remarkable comeback this season, having defeated Mumbai for the second time. They chased down the target in just 18.1 overs, showcasing their dominance. Meanwhile, Mumbai’s bowlers struggled significantly against Chennai’s batsmen.
Pandya stated, “We did not perform well as a batting unit,” emphasizing the need for improvement. He further remarked that Chennai’s players excelled in all aspects of the game: “As a bowling unit, they were better than us.” With only four points from nine matches, Mumbai finds themselves in ninth place on the points table.
The road ahead looks challenging for the Mumbai Indians. They now require a miracle to qualify for the final four. As Pandya noted, “We needed to play more calculative cricket” to turn their fortunes around.
