Pandya is urging the batsmen to elevate their performance for the struggling Mumbai team

NEW DELHI: Hardik Pandya isn’t panicking just yet, but the Mumbai Indians captain is calling for his batsmen to step up after their second consecutive loss in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

As five-time champions, Mumbai features a strong batting lineup that includes India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, Test and ODI skipper Rohit Sharma, and the explosive Tilak Varma among their top five.

In their defeats to Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans, Mumbai managed to post below-par scores of 155 and 160, prompting Pandya to emphasize the need for improvement from the batsmen.

“There shouldn’t be a concern about the batting, but I believe it’s time for us to step up,” Pandya stated after Gujarat defeated them by 36 runs in Ahmedabad on Saturday. “We all need to take responsibility. It’s still early in the season, but at the same time, our batters need to rise to the occasion. Hopefully, they will do so soon.”

Gujarat captain Shubman Gill and his opening partner Sai Sudharsan set the stage for their match-winning total of 196-8 by scoring 66 runs in the first six overs of the powerplay.

“They played exceptionally well,” Pandya acknowledged, praising the Gujarat players. “Their approach was impressive; they didn’t take unnecessary risks and found the boundaries effectively. They executed their strategy perfectly.

“In the powerplay, they managed to score runs without playing high-risk shots, which put us on the back foot, and from that point on, we were just trying to catch up.”

Currently sitting ninth in the 10-team league, Mumbai will face three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday.

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