IPL 2025: Hardik Pandya Highlights ‘Batsmanship’ And Smart Shot Selection After MI’s Dominant Win Over RR

May 2, 2025: Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya lauded his team’s comprehensive performance after a dominant 100-run victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their IPL 2025 clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. The emphatic win marked MI’s sixth consecutive triumph in the tournament and their first win in Jaipur against RR since 2012.

Batting first, MI posted a commanding 217/2, powered by strong performances from Rohit Sharma and Ryan, who anchored the innings with intent and precision. While satisfied, Pandya noted they may have left a few runs on the table.

“We could have gotten maybe 15 runs more. What we were trying to speak to each other was to play percentage shots and cricket shots,” Pandya said. “Ro and Ryan batted the same way – Ryan kept the intent and targeted those boundaries. It was fantastic.”

Emphasizing the return to traditional cricketing principles, Pandya spoke about the value of “batsmanship” — a blend of intelligent shot selection, gap-hitting, and smart running between the wickets.

“It is about hitting the gaps, running hard. The way we batted was proper batsmanship,” he added.

MI’s bowling unit backed up the batting brilliance with a clinical display, bundling out RR for 117. Karn Sharma and Trent Boult took three wickets each, with Jasprit Bumrah adding crucial breakthroughs.

“I don’t know who all to mention… the kind of bowling attack we have, and the experience – I don’t have to worry. Everyone is clear, and we’re going back to simple cricket. It is working for us, and hopefully it continues.”

With six wins in a row after losing four of their first five matches, MI now look like strong contenders heading into the latter half of IPL 2025. Pandya closed by emphasizing the need to remain grounded.

“We want to be humble, very disciplined, and keep focusing.”