Mumbai, May 7 In a game that swung wildly before slipping from Mumbai Indians’ grasp, captain Hardik Pandya minced no words in identifying the root cause of their three-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans: no-balls.
On a chaotic, rain-interrupted night at the Wankhede, where fortunes see-sawed until the final delivery, Pandya’s candid admission summed up MI’s agony. "The catches didn't really cost us. We were very clinical with that," Hardik said after MI's three-wicket defeat. "Maybe definitely with the no-balls, with my no-ball and even the last [over] no-ball.
“In my eyes, it's a crime,” he said of the no-balls—two bowled by him and a crucial one by Deepak Chahar in the final over—that proved costly in a match decided on razor-thin margins.
Defending 15 runs in the last over of re-adjusted target of 147, Mumbai's hopes were dented when Deepak Chahar overstepped at a critical moment. Earlier, Pandya’s own no-balls in the eighth over had already cost 18 runs. “That definitely bit us,” he said. “But I’m proud of the fight we showed.”
Put into bat, MI managed just 155/8 despite a steady half-century from Will Jacks. From 97/2, they lost 6 wickets for just 58 runs in the final 9.3 overs. Yet, the bowlers, especially in slippery, wet conditions, dragged MI back into the contest, making GT work for every run. “It wasn’t a 150 pitch. We were 20-30 runs short. But credit to the bowlers. They kept hitting the right areas,” Pandya added.
Gujarat captain Shubman Gill described the opening exchanges of the chase as “feeling like a Test match,” with rain and wind assisting movement. After a cautious start—just 29 in the powerplay—Gill (43) and Jos Buttler stitched a 72-run stand. However, a flurry of wickets (4 for 13 in 15 balls) left GT behind the DLS par score when rain halted play around midnight.
“A lot of emotions, most of them frustrating,” Gill admitted. “But the universe gave us one more chance, and everything worked out.” The young skipper reserved special praise for Rashid Khan, who returned with 1/21, days after being thrashed for 50 by Sunrisers Hyderabad. “Coming back from injury, the way he bowled today was a great sign.”
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