Pathirana was the difference, says MI captain Hardik Pandya after loss to CSK

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya said Chennai Super Kings’ Matheesha Pathirana was the difference between the two sides during their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night.

Dubbed as the El Clasico of Indian franchise cricket, CSK beat Mumbai by 20 runs to register their first away match win in the ongoing league.

Ruturaj Gaikwad (69 off 40 balls), Shivam Dube (66* off 38 balls), and MS Dhoni’s cameo (20* off 4 balls) propelled CSK to 206/4 in their 20 overs. Chasing, Rohit Sharma’s century (105* off 63 balls) couldn’t help MI, as Pathirana’s four wickets for 28 runs pegged them back as CSK triumphed by 20 runs in the end.

Speaking after the match, Hardik Pandya said while 207 was gettable on the night, Pathirana made the difference. He also credited the CSK think-tank for playing according to their plans. “Definitely, gettable (on the target). They bowled pretty well, and Pathirana was the difference. They were smart with their plans and used the longer boundary well. They got the hang of it, and they have a man behind the stumps (Dhoni) telling them what’s working. The ball was slightly gripping. The pitch was holding up a bit and getting difficult. It was about batting well and keeping the intent. We were going quite well (in the run chase) till Pathirana came into the attack and took those two wickets,” Pandya said.

With Gaikwad and Dube going hammer and tongs, there was noise about how MI could have missed a trick by not using a spinner to break the momentum, and Pandya said it was a plan to use the pacers as it was more difficult to score. “It was about what was best at that time, we could have done something different. I like to play percentage cricket, it would have been difficult for him (Dube) against seamers rather than spin,” he explained.

With MI playing the next four matches away, the all-rounder said if they are smart, they can emerge victorious in their away games. “We are now on the road for the next four games. We need to play good cricket and keep the intensity high. If we are smart, we can get the goal we want,” he concluded.