Following a 7-wicket loss to PBKS, MI skipper Hardik Pandya stated the team must 'go back to the drawing board' to find solutions. He acknowledged PBKS's superior performance and suggested that 'difficult calls' might be necessary.
Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya admitted that his side needs to reassess its overall performance after a seven-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their IPL 2026 clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday night. Reflecting on the loss, Pandya said MI must analyse whether the issues lie in individual performances, team planning, or collective execution, while also acknowledging PBKS' superior display in all departments. "To be very honest, I don't have much to say right now. I think we really need to go back to the drawing board and see where we are lacking. Is it individuals? Is it as a group? Is it as planning? We'll just figure it out and see what we can do next," Pandya said during the post-match presentation.
'They just outbeat us'
The MI captain also pointed to changing match conditions, including reverse swing in the first innings and dew in the second, but conceded that Punjab were the better side on the day. "I think we need to give credit to them as well. The ball started reversing. In the second innings, the dew came, and it slightly got better, but having said that, they just outbeat us. They bowled better, they batted better, they fielded better," Pandya added.
Hints at 'Difficult Calls'
He suggested that the team may need to consider tough decisions moving forward as they look to turn their campaign around. "I think we need to see, do we need to make some difficult calls, or do we need to keep continuing and hope that we'll turn things around. These are some harsh questions which eventually we need to answer, and yeah, ownership has to be taken," he concluded.
Match Summary
Coming to the match, Punjab Kings continued their dominant run in IPL 2026 with a convincing seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. With this victory, PBKS climbed to the top of the table with four wins and a no-result, overtaking defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), while MI slipped to ninth place with just one win from five matches. Batting first, MI posted 195/6, powered by Quinton de Kock's brilliant 112* off 60 balls and a crucial 122-run partnership with Naman Dhir, who scored a quick 50. Arshdeep Singh led PBKS' bowling effort with 3/22. In response, PBKS chased the target in just 16.3 overs, reaching 198/3. Prabhsimran Singh starred with an unbeaten 80 off 39 balls, while skipper Shreyas Iyer contributed a fluent 66 off 35 balls. The duo added a match-defining stand after early setbacks. For MI, Allah Ghazanfar picked up 2/32, but the bowlers were largely ineffective as PBKS dominated the chase. (ANI)
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