Hardik Pandya Slams Bowlers After MI's Second Consecutive Loss in RR vs MI Clash

RR vs MI Match Highlights: In the rain-affected 13th match of IPL 2026, Rajasthan Royals defeated Mumbai Indians by 27 runs, thanks to Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi. After this defeat, captain Hardik Pandya expressed his displeasure with his bowlers.

RR vs MI Match Highlights: Rajasthan Royals (RR) secured a 27-run victory against Mumbai Indians (MI) in a rain-affected 13th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). With this win, RR has achieved a hat-trick of victories this season and has climbed to the top of the points table. Meanwhile, MI, currently in seventh place, faced their second consecutive defeat. Due to rain, the first ball of the match was bowled at 10:10 PM. The match was reduced to 9 overs per side. Batting first after losing the toss, Rajasthan scored 150 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 11 overs. In response, Mumbai could only manage 123 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. After the match, Hardik Pandya expressed his displeasure with his bowlers, holding them responsible for the loss.

Our Bowlers Need to Take Responsibility - Pandya

Post-match, captain Hardik Pandya stated, "We didn't bowl the balls we should have in the powerplay. They played well. Our bowlers need to take responsibility. As a bowling group, we were not up to the mark at all. They played tremendous cricket."

'I Won't Blame the Batting for This Loss'

When asked if the batting approach could have been better, he said, "I won't blame the batting for this loss. It was definitely the responsibility of the bowling unit. This is T20 cricket, it's always important to bowl the right balls. If you look at the 27 runs, it means we are talking about five good balls and five less sixes. If we had bowled the right balls, we would have stayed in the game. But, their openers put pressure on us in a few overs and took us out of the game. After that, we were trailing the entire time and fell short of the target."

'It's Really Interesting to Watch Vaibhav Play'

Speaking about Vaibhav Suryavanshi, he commented, "It's really interesting to watch a 16 or 17-year-old boy play like this. The way he bats, the fearlessness he has, and the kind of shots he plays, it's a wonderful experience to watch. I wish him all the best for his future."

'Prepare Well for the Next Match'

When asked about the upcoming match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Pandya said, "Just learn from our mistakes. Tomorrow morning, the sun will rise. Just learn from your mistakes and prepare well for the next match."