NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya said the three no-balls he and teammate Deepak Chahar bowled against Gujarat Titans were a “crime” that led to their loss in a last-ball thriller in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.
Mumbai’s six-match winning streak came to an end as Gujarat survived intense drama in a rain-affected match in Mumbai before escaping to victory off the last ball.
Needing 15 runs off the last over from Chahar, Gujarat batters Rahul Tewatia and Gerald Coetzee milked 11 off the first three deliveries before the bowler sent down a no-ball.
It eased pressure on Gujarat, who, despite losing Coetzee, went on to accomplish a tricky chase of 147 from 19 overs. Mumbai also dropped Gujarat captain Shubman Gill and an erratic Pandya bowled an 11-ball over that included two no-balls and three wides.
“The catches didn’t really cost us. We were very clinical with that,” Pandya said after their three-wicket loss.
“Maybe definitely with the no-balls, with my no-ball and even the last (over) no-ball. “That, in my eyes, indeed it’s a crime, and most often than not it kind of bites you.
“It definitely did to us, but at the same point of time, really happy with the boys giving their 120% and making sure that we were in the game and not giving up.”
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Mumbai rode Will Jack’s 53 to post a modest 155-8 on a tricky track at the Wankhede Stadium, which did not look enough to test Gujarat’s strong batting line up.
Gill (43) and Jos Buttler (30) got the starts but Mumbai hit back through their bowlers to stay in contention in the stop-start match.
“It was definitely not a 150-run wicket. I think it was a 175 (surface),” Pandya said. “We were definitely short in batting by 20-25 runs or maybe 30 runs. But credit to the bowlers, they kept fighting and they kept bowling at the right areas.
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