Mumbai Indians’ disappointing IPL 2026 campaign suffered another setback on Wednesday as Hardik Pandya admitted that poor batting and sloppy fielding once again cost his side during the four-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.
The loss officially ended whatever little momentum Mumbai were hoping to build late in the season, while KKR kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a disciplined performance in a low-scoring contest.
Hardik Pandya admits MI fell short with the bat
Mumbai Indians struggled to build partnerships after losing early wickets during the Powerplay, and Hardik felt the batting unit left at least 20 runs behind on a tricky surface.
The MI skipper said a better stand in the middle overs could have changed the direction of the game.
“Definitely as a batting group, we were 20 (runs) short. I think we lost a lot of wickets in powerplay, but if Tilak (Varma) and I would have stayed longer, and we had stitched a couple of more partnership and got those 15-20 runs, I think we would have had a decent chance,” said Pandya after the match.
Mumbai never fully recovered after the early collapse and kept losing wickets at important moments, which prevented them from posting a challenging total.
Dropped catches continue to hurt Mumbai Indians
Fielding has been one of Mumbai Indians’ biggest problems this season, and Hardik openly admitted that repeated mistakes in the field have badly affected the team.
MI dropped important chances once again against KKR, allowing the opposition to stay in control during the chase.
“I think throughout the season, we’ve been quite poor in fielding. I think we have dropped a lot of catches, which obviously no one wants to do it. But in that part of the game, I think there is no hiding away. I think if you get chances, if you want to win games, you need to grab all the chances, even half chances as well. But yeah, when you drop chances which can change the game, it’s always you are chasing the game,” added the embattled Pandya.
Mumbai’s fielding standards have regularly come under criticism this season, especially in close matches where missed opportunities proved costly.
Hardik enjoys bowler-friendly IPL pitch
Despite the defeat, Hardik said he enjoyed playing on a surface that finally offered some help to bowlers in an IPL season dominated heavily by batters.
The Mumbai captain felt contests become more interesting when bowlers are also given a fair chance to influence the game.
“To be very honest, I don’t mind playing on this sort of wickets where bowlers have something to do. I think IPL is becoming quite batting-dominated. Bowlers are feeling helpless.
“I think today’s game kind of gave bowlers something as well, which kind of makes them come and bowl some good balls, make batsmen play some good cricket and score runs. So, I kind of enjoyed it,” he said.
Another frustrating season for Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians came into IPL 2026 with big expectations but never really managed to build momentum during the season.
Poor batting performances, missed chances in the field and injuries at important stages hurt the five-time champions throughout the tournament, and the defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders reflected the same problems once again.
While KKR still remain in the playoff race mathematically, Mumbai Indians will now hope to end a disappointing campaign with better performances in their remaining games.
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