Credit: IPL
Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya acknowledged that his team couldn’t take advantage of crucial moments in the match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Stadium in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Pursuing the target of 204, Mumbai delivered a moment to their fans when they believed that the side could pull off the chase. However, the five-time champion side failed to hold their nerves and registered a 12-run loss. With this failure, MI recorded their third loss in the tournament. The Men in Blue are currently in the seventh spot on the points tally, with only one win off their four outings.
After the contest, Hardik came out at the post-match press conference and revealed how planning errors on the field made them pay a heavy cost in Lucknow. "Disappointing when you lose. If we had to be honest, in the field, 10-12 runs we gave too much. We fell short in the end,” said the 31-year-old. He also talked about his magnificent bowling in the first innings and remarked, “Always enjoyed my bowling. I don't have many options but I read the wicket and use smarter options. I never go for wickets, but I try to make batters make mistakes. Today was one of those days."
Pandya also took the full responsibility of his side’s disheartening batting performance in the match. "As a batting unit, we fell short. We win as a team, we lose as a team. I take full ownership," said Pandya.
MI will look to bounce back in their next IPL 2025 match against RCB on April 7
After the loss against LSG, Mumbai will endeavaour to get the better of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 7, at the distinguished Wankhede Stadium. Bengaluru lost their last game against Gujarat Titans (GT) at home but the Rajat Patidar-led team looked extraordinary in their away matches against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Both MI and RCB have clashed against each in 33 IPL matches with the Men in Blue emerging victorious 19 times. The Challengers have won on 14 occasions. At the Wankhede Stadium, MI have hosted Bengaluru on 11 instances and emerged triumphant eight times. RCB have bagged only three games against Mumbai at the iconic venue.
