Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya expressed his strategy of encouraging batters to take calculated risks during the middle overs. He stated that MI had confidence in their ability to successfully chase down the target set by Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.
Fraser-McGurk matched his record for the fastest fifty in IPL 2024, blasting 87 runs off just 27 balls to set the stage for a formidable total. Delhi Capitals (DC) posted 257 runs in 20 overs, supported by quick innings from Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant, and Tristan Stubbs.
Hardik Pandya Blamed MI Batters For Lack Of Game Awareness
Despite Tilak Varma’s valiant effort, Mumbai Indians (MI) fell short by 10 runs as Delhi secured the win. MI’s sixth loss of the season puts their playoff hopes at risk.
In their chase, Mumbai Indians ended at 247 for 9, falling short by 10 runs and losing the match. Tilak Varma’s impressive 63-run effort was a highlight, but he lacked support from other batsmen, contributing to Mumbai Indians’ defeat in another match.
Speaking at the post-match conference, Hardik said: “This game is becoming more and more closer. It (the difference) used to be a couple of overs, now it’s becoming a couple of balls. Because of the kind of games and how the bowlers are under pressure, we backed ourselves to do it.”
Further, Hardik lashed out at Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera, saying that the duo could have attacked Axar Patel more in the middle overs. Hardik said:
“If I had to pick something out, we could have taken a couple of more chances in the middle overs. The left-handers could have probably gone after Axar a little bit, it’s something we missed out in terms of game awareness.”
Hardik Pandya also lauded Jake Fraser-McGurk for his stupendous knock and said:
“It was quite amazing the way he (Fraser-McGurk) batted, he took calculated risks, he played the field really well. It shows the fearlessness of youth. (If he would’ve done something different at the toss) Not really.”
