A disappointed Hardik Pandya was honest after Mumbai Indians’ defeat on Thursday, hailing Sanju Samson for his ‘outstanding’ hundred, which proved to be the difference maker. It was also MI’s first-ever three-match losing streak at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL history. After the match, the MI skipper pointed out that his bowlers, including the spinners, performed well, but it was the CSK opener’s knock which outfoxed his side.
Samson got his second IPL 2026 ton, racing to an unbeaten 101* off 54 balls, packed with 10 fours and six maximums, striking at 187.04. He played the anchor role, staying till the end as CSK go to 207/6 in 20 overs. It proved too much for MI, who were bowled out for 104 in 19 overs.
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‘Sanju played an outstanding knock’: Hardik Pandya
Speaking after the match, Hardik said, “I think that in the powerplay, losing that early wicket is always going to be tricky. You are always chasing the game and we could not cope up after that.”
Rejecting the notion that the Wankhede pitch was different than before, he said, “I would not say that. I’m not someone who would like to say that. They batted well, they scored 207. It was the same track, it is the same soil. We should have just batted well.”
Praising Samson’s impact, he said, “I think even our spinners bowled pretty well. It’s just that Sanju played an outstanding knock. At the same point of time, their batters kept coming and kind of chipping in and got them to a decent total. I think more than a decent total on that track. For us to chase this down, we needed to have a good powerplay and the momentum had to be with us, but that could not happen.”
Revealing his team’s future plans, regarding playing XI changes, he added, “I think that will be the chat where we will go back to again, go forward and figure out what we need to do. We have a couple of days. We just need to see what we can do best.”
MI are also running out of time this season and is now eighth in the standings with four points after seven matches (two wins and five defeats).
CSK also now have the most wins against MI in IPL history, with 19 victories in 40 matches. Punjab Kings are second in the list with 18 wins in 35 games. Chennai have also clinched victories in five of their last six matches vs MI in IPL since 2023. The 104 all-out on Thursday is also MI’s lowest total vs CSK in IPL, bettering their 136/8 in 2021.