Hardik Pandya reflected on MI’s loss against KKR at the Wankhede Stadium on May 3, Friday. Hardik admitted that the team could not stitch any partnerships and kept on losing wickets, which resulted in their loss. KKR ended their 12-year jinx at the iconic venue with a terrific win by 24 runs. With the victory, Kolkata also consolidated their second position in the points table with 7 wins in 10 games. Meanwhile, MI slumped to their 8th loss of the season from 11 matches.
While speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Hardik talked about MI’s defeat and what went wrong in the game. Amid MI’s poor run in the tournament, Hardik said that it would take time to answer the questions being posed to the team. However, he was happy with the way the MI bowlers bowled.
“Obviously, we couldn’t form partnerships and kept losing wickets. There are a lot of questions that will take time to answer. But for now, not much to say. Bowlers did a fantastic job on this track,” Hardik said. IPL 2024, MI vs KKR: Match Report
‘Challenges make you better’
MI opted to bowl first and cashed in on the advantage by leaving KKR tottering at 57 for 5. N Thushara picked up 3 wickets and ran through KKR’s top-order. However, Venkatesh Iyer, with his 70-run knock, along with Manish Pandey led Kolkata’s recovery as they managed to put 169 runs on the board. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule
Hardik mentioned that the wicket got better in the 2nd innings, but the lack of partnerships led to their downfall in the chase. Hardik held his head high and remained determined to keep fighting, despite the tough challenges.
“The wicket got better if I’m not wrong. Dew came in the second innings. Will go through the game and see what we can do better. You keep fighting, that is what I tell to myself, never leave the battlefield. Tough days come but good also come here. It’s challenging, but challenges make you better,” Hardik added.
KKR bowlers were all over the MI batters as the hosts found themselves reduced to 71 for 6. Suryakumar Yadav played a counter-attacking innings of 56 runs from 35 balls. However, that did not prove to be enough as Mitchell Starc picked up 4 wickets for 33 runs to blow away MI’s lower order.
