IPL 2026 | We've been doing catch-up rather than leading the game: Hardik Pandya

Mumbai: Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya admitted his side needs to introspect and build momentum after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru fair and square in an IPL match here on Sunday.

He acknowledged that playing catch-up rather than setting the pace is not helping their campaign.

Chasing a mammoth 240 for 4 after half-centuries from Phil Salt, Virat Kohli and skipper Rajat Patidar, MI were restricted to 222 for 5 despite Sherfane Rutherford's pyrotechnics, as he scored an unbeaten 71 off 31 balls.

"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 of the season, which saw them slump to eighth on the points table.

RCB, on the other hand, maintained their third position on the table with three wins from four matches.

He admitted that the team's plans weren't working and that a rethink was urgently needed.

"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.

He added that both the batting and bowling units need to improve, with greater focus on 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.

"A lot of options will be asked and explored. We will see what we can do in the next game." Pandya said Rutherford's innings gave him the flexibility to tweak the lineup.

"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.

RCB skipper Patidar said the way Kohli and Salt fired at the top put the team in the driver's seat from the outset.

"The way Virat bhai and Salt started the innings, I think that kept us in the driving seat. Then a good cameo by me and Tim (David), I think that was a pure team effort.

"To be honest, people used to say that I love playing spin, but if someone asks me, I would say I love playing pace. And playing pace on this track, I think it's a very good track to play a fast bowler. So I think I love fast bowling," added Patidar.