Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya rues costly errors, missed chances, and no-balls after rain-hit thriller ends GT’s way at Wankhede
Hardik Pandya Slams No-Balls as ‘Crime’ After DLS Loss to Gujarat Titans
Mumbai, May 7: Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya minced no words after his team’s three-wicket defeat to Gujarat Titans via the DLS method at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday, calling the no-balls bowled by him and his teammates a “crime” in the context of T20 cricket.
In a high-stakes playoff battle, MI were five runs ahead by DLS when heavy rain halted play after the 18th over. However, the weather cleared just enough for a one-over shootout — with GT needing 15 runs and MI fielding only four players outside the circle due to a slow over rate penalty.
Deepak Chahar, entrusted with the final over, conceded a boundary, a six, and bowled a no-ball under pressure — tilting the game decisively in GT’s favour. Earlier in the match, Hardik himself had bowled two no-balls in the same over, compounding MI’s woes.
Adding to the list of regrets, Tilak Varma dropped a catch of Shubman Gill early in his innings — a miss that proved costly as Gill went on to anchor the GT chase.
Hardik Reflects on the Loss:
“Catches did not really cost us, but the no-balls — including mine and the one at the end — are crimes in T20s,” said Hardik post-match. “They hurt us, but I am proud of the team for giving it everything and staying in the fight.”
Batsmen Fall Short, Bowlers Step Up
Despite posting a below-par 155/8, MI’s bowlers made a game out of it. Will Jacks (53), Suryakumar Yadav (35), and Corbin Bosch (27) provided crucial runs. However, Hardik admitted that the batting fell 20–30 runs short of what the pitch demanded.
Jasprit Bumrah was once again the pick of the bowlers with 2/19, removing both Gill and Shahrukh Khan. Trent Boult and Ashwani Kumar supported well, sharing four wickets among them.
On Rain Interruptions and Momentum Loss
Commenting on the weather disruption, Hardik said, “The ground wasn’t wet initially, but it got tough later. Rain stoppages broke momentum, but that’s part of the game. We had to go out and finish it.”
Final Word
With this loss, MI’s six-game winning streak came to an end, and Gujarat Titans climbed to the top of the IPL 2025 points table. As the playoffs approach, Mumbai will need to quickly regroup and iron out avoidable mistakes to stay in the hunt.