Mumbai Indians clinched a thriller in Mullanpur as they knocked out Gujarat Titans by 20 runs and successfully reached Qualifier 2 to face Punjab Kings.
Hardik Pandya lauded Bumrah’s impact, which once again turned the game in MI’s favour, and the MI captain also gave credit to Jonny Bairstow’s explosive start and Rohit Sharma’s gritty knock, which helped Mumbai post a competitive total in the first innings.
Hardik Pandya Hails Bumrah, Bairstow, and Rohit for Turning the Game
Hardik Pandya spoke about how the game was even-steven at one point and his observation on how the pitch got better in the second innings, as the ball was nicely coming onto the bat, and then how Bumrah disrupted the momentum of the Gujarat Titans.
“At one point in time, the game was even-steven. I thought the wicket got better in the second innings. It started to come on well, they got into rhythm and we realised we need to hold our nerves and back our boys. The way Gleeson bowled. Jassi being Jassi. Ashwani… everyone chipped in well and we held our nerves.”
Hardik Calls Bumrah a ‘Cheat Code’
When the MI captain was asked when to use Jasprit Bumrah, he said that he uses him when he thinks the game is going away, and he turns to Jasprit Bumrah. Hardik Pandya explained how valuable Jasprit Bumrah is for them as he feels he’s a cheat code, turning to him when the team is under pressure, and he did the job for the team.
“Whenever you think the game is going away, just bring him (Bumrah). When you have that, it's a luxury. It's like Mumbai housing prices – he's that expensive. I was just watching the scoreboard, and I thought if we could keep extra runs at the end, I had the bowlers to bowl it. It was important that Jassi came and bowl that over so that the margin becomes longer (the 18th over).”
Meanwhile, he gave credit to Jonny Bairstow, who made his Mumbai Indians debut, and how his start influenced the finish, and then on Rohit Sharma’s innings, and he termed his innings responsible.
“The way Jonny batted and started… for him to make his debut for us, it's a special franchise, coming in and playing the way he played. The way Ro batted. He took his time, and once he got into rhythm, it was beautiful.”
Mumbai Indians will now face Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 on 31/05/2025 at 7:30 PM IST, happening at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
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