Hardik Pandya After 103-Run Loss to Chennai Super Kings

Mumbai: Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya admitted that his team could not cope with the first setbacks in their crushing 103-run defeat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2026 ‘El Clasico’ match played at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday night.

Speaking after the match, Pandya said losing early wickets in the powerplay left MI behind as they chased a tough target of 208.

“I think it will always be difficult to lose early wickets in the powerplay. You are always chasing the game and we just couldn’t handle it after that,” Pandya said.

Responding to questions on whether the pitch behaved differently during the chase, the MI skipper dismissed the suggestion and credited CSK’s batting performance.

“I can’t say anything like that. I’m not one to say that. They batted well, they scored 207 runs. Same track, same soil. We should have batted well,” he added.

Pandya acknowledged the impact of the spinners but praised CSK’s batting depth, especially Sanju Samson’s unbeaten century. “I think even our batsmen bowled pretty well. Just Sanju batted outstandingly. At the same time, their batsmen also kept coming and kind of contributed and got them to a good total. I think it’s more than just a good total on this track.”

He also emphasized that MI needs a strong start in the powerplay to remain competitive in the chase.

“We needed a good powerplay to follow it up and the momentum needed to be with us, but that couldn’t happen,” Pandya said.

On possible changes in the squad for the upcoming matches, the MI skipper said discussions will be held within the team structure.

“I think it’s going to be a conversation where we go back and move forward and figure out what we need to do. We’ve got a few days. We just need to see what we can do best.”

The Super Kings secured a dominant 103-run victory over MI thanks to Samson’s sensational century and a match-winning bowling performance led by Akeal Hosein.

CSK posted a score of 207/6, with Samson fluently smashing 101 off 54 balls, before the bowlers tore apart MI’s batting unit. While Akeal Hosein starred with a four-wicket haul (4/17), Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, Anshul Kamboj and Gurjapneet Singh also contributed as MI were bundled out for 104.

With this result, CSK rose to the fifth position in the IPL 2026 rankings.

CSK’s dominant 103-run victory over MI also went down in the record books as their biggest win in terms of runs in IPL history. They surpassed their previous record with a 97-run win against Kings XI Punjab (Now Punjab Kings) in Chennai in the 2015 season.

For MI, the defeat was the heaviest loss in IPL history. The previous worst margin of defeat was an 87-run defeat against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur in the 2013 season. It was also their biggest defeat at the Wankhede Stadium, surpassing the 39-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2015.

The total of 104 points is now MI’s lowest score against CSK in IPL history, surpassing 136/8 in Dubai in the 2021 edition. Overall, CSK has won five of the last six matches against MI since 2023.