"Losing early wickets is tough": MI skipper Hardik Pandya on 4-wicket defeat to LSG

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 1 (ANI): Following his side's 4-wicket defeat against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya said after losing early wickets it was tough for them to recover.
Pandya displayed a sloppy performance while batting as he was dismissed for a golden duck in the sixth over of the first inning by Naveen-ul-Haq. However. while bowling the skipper picked up two wickets in his four-over spell and gave away 26 runs at an economy rate of 6.50.
Speaking after the match, Pandya said his side failed to see the ball and hit. He added that there have been lots of things to learn from their match against LSG.
The skipper showered praise on Nehal Wadhera and said the 23-year-old will play a lot of IPL in the future and will represent India.
Wadhera scored 46 runs from 41 balls at a strike rate of 112.20 against LSG. He smashed 4 fours and 2 sixes during his time on the crease.
"I think losing early wickets is tough to recover from and that's what we couldn't do it (recover) today. You still have to see the ball and hit. We just missed those balls and got out, that has been the kind of season we have had so far. I have always believed that you will be up and you'll be up, just that you got to give it your all. A lot of things to learn from this game. It has been fantastic. I think he (Wadhera) did last year as well, he couldn't get opportunities earlier (in the tournament) but he will play a lot of IPL and (represent) India eventually," Pandya said.
Recapping the match, LSG won the toss and opted to field first. Mumbai Indians could not get going from the start, losing four wickets for 27 runs within the powerplay itself. Nehal Wadhera (46), Ishan Kishan (32) and Tim David (35*) tried their best but could take their side to just 144/7 in their 20 overs.
Mohsin Khan (2/36) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia, while Marcus Stoinis, Mayank Yadav, Naveen ul Haq and Stoinis got a wicket each.
In the run-chase of 145 runs, LSG also faced a hard challenge from MI bowlers and lost wickets at regular intervals. Stoinis' knock of 62 in 45 balls, with seven fours and two sixes proved to be just enough to take LSG to a four-wicket win with four balls and four wickets left.
Following the win, LSG are at the third spot with six wins and four losses, giving them 12 points. Meanwhile, MI are at the ninth spot with three wins, seven losses and six points. (ANI)