Mistakes by MI captain Hardik Pandya vs RR: Rajasthan Royals recorded their seventh win in eight matches in IPL 2024 by thumping Mumbai Indians by 9 wickets on Monday evening. RR are only a step away from sealing a playoff spot, with six league matches to go.
Sandeep Sharma’s sensational bowling of 5/18 followed by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s return-to-form century downed MI in an emphatic fashion.
Mumbai Indians, under new captain Hardik Pandya, have now suffered their fifth loss in eight matches, and their chances of playoff qualification right now are looking bleak. Against RR in Jaipur, Hardik made a few big mistakes as the captain and batsman and those were instrumental in MI losing the match.
3 big mistakes by MI captain Hardik Pandya vs RR:
Choosing to Bat First in Jaipur
Hardik Pandya won the crucial toss but elected to bat first, which left many surprised. This is because Mumbai’s strength is their batting and they are a team that has had more success in chasing since last year.
Their bowling attack is heavily dependent on Jasprit Bumrah, and that’s why smart opposition teams like to play Bumrah safely and take down other MI bowlers, making it really challenging for MI to defend totals.
Plus, the last two games at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium were won by chasing teams. This included RR’s only loss in Jaipur this season, against Gujarat Titans who won by 3 wickets in the chase of 197.
Hardik opened the bowling himself instead of Bumrah and Leaked 11 Runs
When defending under-par totals, it’s imperative that you strike with early wickets. But Hardik once again didn’t give Bumrah, the best pacer in the world, the first over and instead bowled himself, and he duly leaked 11 runs.
With Buttler fresh from a century vs KKR and Jaiswal hitting a century vs MI last year, opening the bowling with Bumrah should have been the wiser move for Hardik and MI.
Promoting Himself Over Tim David in Death Overs, Scoring 10 (10)
Already a disappointment with the bat this season, Hardik is making matters worse for himself by promoting himself over the powerful finisher Tim David. At the fall of Wadhera’s wicket in the 17th over, Pandya came in to bat ahead of the designated finisher, Tim David.
Pandya has struggled for big hits and timing and has killed the momentum of MI’s innings multiple times this season. The same was the case vs Rajasthan. Wadhera and Tilak Varma had given MI a strong platform for the death overs, but Pandya’s 10 (10) hurt his own side. David got to face only five balls after coming in with only 10 balls left.
Check Out: Mistakes by MI captain Hardik Pandya vs RR
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