Image Credit- BCCI
By “clearing a lot of minds,” treating players with “love and care,” and having faith in their ability to recover, Mumbai Indians were able to snap their three-game losing streak in the IPL 2024.
At the Wankhede Stadium, Hardik Pandya and the Mumbai team gave the mostly school-aged spectators, who were cheering them on, a lap of honour after defeating the Delhi Capitals by 29 runs.
“It was a lot of hard work,” Hardik said after the game. “We cleared a lot of minds, made sure our plans are right, the intent is right, and today was one of the days where everything clicked. There has been a lot of love and care going around. Everyone knows we lost three games, but the belief and attitude of backing each other was there, which has been fantastic. We needed just one win, and today is just the start.”
According to Hardik, the team now had a cohesive appearance. Suryakumar Yadav returned to the starting lineup on Sunday, having missed the season’s opening stretch due to an injury. Even though his innings lasted just two deliveries, Mumbai’s powerplay began with a 75 for 0 lead in six overs thanks to the opening partnership of Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, which helped set the stage for their third-highest total of 234 for 5.
“It was amazing,” Hardik said of the powerplay onslaught. “To get 77 or 80 after six was wonderful. The way everyone is batting, we needed to find the rhythm to bat. The way everyone’s chipping in with their opportunities coming was fantastic.”
Kishan, who made 42 from 23 balls and added 80 with Rohit in seven overs, said it was a conscious decision to attack in the powerplay.
“We’ve played enough games here; we know how the wicket plays,” he said. “Because it’s not easy after six overs when the fielders go back. It’s more of a rotation game [after six overs] and choosing the right balls [to hit]. We both felt that powerplay was really important time for both of us, where we can take the bowlers on and that’s what our plan was. And we think we executed in a very good way.”