New Delhi:  Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya cut a dejected figure after losing a third match on the bounce in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Sunday. MI lost to arch-rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 18 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, slipping to their third successive defeat in what has been a poor start to the campaign.

Following the loss, Hardik gave an honest take on his side’s below-par performances, admitting that the five-time champions need to introspect and build momentum after the RCB loss.

The MI skipper acknowledged that his side is playing catch-up, and their inability to set the pace is not helping them one bit.

Chasing a colossal 240 for 4 thanks to half-centuries from Phil Salt, Virat Kohli and skipper Rajat Patidar, MI were restricted to 222 for 5 despite Sherfane Rutherford’s sensational 71 off 31 balls.

MI need to set the pace: Pandya after RCB loss

“I think we conceded way too many (runs) as well. I think that was always going to be catch-up. I think in the last couple of games, as a bowling unit or even as a batting unit, we’ve been catching up in the game rather than leading the game,” said Pandya after MI’s third loss in a row, which saw them slip to eighth on the points table.

Meanwhile, RCB bounced back swiftly from the Rajasthan Royals loss and maintained their third position with three wins from four matches.

Hardik added that the team’s plans weren’t working and revisiting the strategy is the urgent need of the hour for the Mumbai side.

“We have a couple of days off from here… To be very honest, now a lot of things need to be rethought. Definitely, it’s not working. A couple of games we have won the toss, but maybe we need to see what other options we have as a batting group or bowling group,” he said.

Hardik demands improvement in both departments

Hardik feels MI need to improve in both batting and bowling departments, especially in the powerplay overs.

“Looking at the kind of wicket its playing, if we can bat well, that would be good. We still need to play good cricket, we need to bat well, we need to bowl well. If we do that, then irrespective of the toss, we will be fine.

“That’s what we are planning and talking about, how do we get some momentum in the powerplay. Because if you see, in both batting and bowling, we are kind of trying to catch up in the powerplay.

Pandya hinted that MI might make some changes in the line-up and the batting order in the coming games. He also hailed Rutherford and claimed that his performances against RCB gave him the freedom to explore possibilities to tweak the batting order.

“A lot of options will be asked and explored. We will see what we can do in the next game.”

“When we got him (Rutherford), it was always exciting for us. We always knew the kind of potential and the kind of power he has.

“The way he batted gives us extra cushion and at the same time confidence that if we want to make some changes or see what the team requires, we can definitely do that because of the way he’s batting,” said Pandya.

MI face a daunting task to break the losing streak against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), one of the only two unbeaten sides in the tournament. Thursday’s match against the second-placed PBKS could define MI’s season one way or the other.