"I think the whole season went wrong, so it's okay we can pass on this game"- Hardik Pandya reflects on MI's loss against LSG
Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya felt it was too early to point out what went wrong for his team in the IPL 2024 match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He conceded that the whole tournament went wrong for his side, which was why they would not think much about the defeat.
Playing their last league match of the season, MI suffered an 18-run defeat at the hands of LSG. Half-centuries from KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran inspired LSG to 214/6 in the first innings. In response, MI finished with 196/6, with half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir ending in a losing cause.
When asked if the team's poor death bowling led to a defeat against LSG, MI captain Hardik Pandya told host broadcasters:
"Too early to be exactly pointing out what went wrong. I think the whole season went wrong, so it's okay we can pass on this game as well and look forward to the next season."
MI started well with the ball and restricted LSG to 69/3 until the 10th over. However, in the next 10 overs, the home side leaked 145 runs. The absence of Jasprit Bumrah hurt MI in this match.
"Sometimes there will be good days, sometimes there will be bad days"- Hardik Pandya comments on MI's disastrous IPL 2024
MI finished 10th in the standings with only eight points from 14 league matches. When asked about his comments on the team's performance and the vibe in the dressing room, skipper Hardik Pandya said:
"I mean, quite difficult. This season, we did not play good quality cricket. So, eventually, it costed us the whole season."
"It's a professional world. Sometimes there will be good days, sometimes there will be bad days," he added. "But as professional cricketers, we always need to come out and put our best step forward so I don't think that was much of a problem."
A mega auction will happen before IPL 2025. It will be interesting to see if MI builds a fresh squad around skipper Hardik Pandya.