IPL 2025: The way we bowled was very smart, says Hardik Pandya after SRH win

Mumbai, April 18 (IANS) Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya and his counterpart Pat Cummins of Sunrisers Hyderabad gave credit to the disciplined bowling by the hosts' bowlers for their four-wicket win in Match 33 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Thursday

Will Jacks came up with a fine all-round performance, picking up two wickets for 14 runs and scoring 36 runs as Mumbai Indians restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 162/5 and then nailed a tricky chase by reaching 166/6 in 18.1 overs to score their third win of IPL 2025.

"The way we bowled was very smart and spot on. We stuck to simple, basic plans. Certain balls were not easy to hit. Credit to the bowlers, we made them hit some good shots. We were kind of squeezing them. The surface nice greenish look to it, and the first couple of overs that Deepak bowled, a couple of balls got stuck in. We decided to use change-of-pace balls. As soon as we figured it out, we tried to mix it up. We executed the yorkers very smartly," said Pandya after his team's four-wicket win.

SRH captain Pat Cummins admitted that it was not an easy wicket to bat on, but gave credit to Mumbai Indians bowlers for executing their plans well.

"Wasn't the easiest of wickets, 160 was a few short. It was a tricky wicket, cutters were gripping. They shut down a lot of our scoring areas. I thought we had all bases covered. 160 (was), you feel a little bit short, I thought we gave it a good crack with the ball," said Cummins.

Pandya also praised Will Jacks for his fine bowling and good fielding. He also felt it would be difficult for his team with 42 needed off 42 balls, but a few boundaries eased the pressure.

"He (Will Jacks) can be a gun fielder. Bowl those gun overs. Today it came off for him. When we needed 42 off 42, we felt it was a tricky part, so we took it for a couple of overs and did not get too excited. As soon as boundaries come, the pressure gets off, so we pushed the pedal at the end."

Mumbai Indians batter Ryan Rickelton was also happy to have contributed towards the team's victory. The hosts rode on vital contributions by Ryan Rickelton (31), Will Jacks (36), Rohit Sharma (26) and Suryakumar Yadav (26) and Tilak Varma (21 not out) to reach 166/6 in 18.1 overs and win by four wickets with 11 balls remaining.

"Nice to contribute, just to get going. Still itching for that big score. It wasn't the easiest wicket, but we adjusted well, nice to get over the line. Extremely difficult, not unreachable [playing on these tough wickets]. Have the foundation, just about trying to work those little things into my game. It's a work in progress, if I can keep growing my game, it'll bode well for the future," he added.

Rickelton said he also gained from the experience of Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.

He felt they could have restricted SRH for an even lower score.

"The smarts were there today with the ball in hand, could've probably kept them to an even lower score. We're rising to the occasion as the tournament progresses. Finding my feet, really enjoying the IPL. Great team to play for, great atmosphere. Hopefully, I can keep contributing," Rickelton added.

--IANS

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