Mumbai Indians faced their second consecutive defeat in IPL 2025 on Monday, losing by 12 runs at their home ground, Wankhede Stadium, to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Notably, Tilak Varma, who had been retired out in the 19th over during the previous match against Lucknow Super Giants, emerged as the top scorer for Mumbai, hitting 56 runs at a strike rate of 193.10 against RCB. This performance raised further questions regarding Hardik Pandya's decision in the LSG match, but the all-rounder was prepared to address the criticism.

During the post-match presentation, Hardik clarified that the decision was primarily tactical, but he also disclosed that Tilak had sustained an injury from a practice session just before the game concluded.

He stated, “Tilak performed exceptionally well. In the last match, many things transpired, and people speculated without knowing that he had received a significant blow the day before. It was a tactical decision, but due to the injury to his finger, the coach believed it was better to have someone fresh step in.”

"Today, he was outstanding. In matches like these, powerplays are critical. There were a couple of overs where we struggled to find our rhythm, which hindered our chase. Ultimately, it comes down to execution in the final overs, and we were unable to handle those deliveries," the MI captain added.

It wasn't Hardik's call

In the pursuit of 203 runs at the Ekana Stadium last week against Lucknow, Tilak was retired out before the last over after scoring 25 runs off 23 balls, without hitting a boundary. Mitchell Santner took his place for the final over, but Mumbai still fell short in their chase. Following the loss, Hardik Pandya faced criticism for the decision, until head coach Mahela Jayawardene stepped in to clarify that it was his choice.

He remarked, "I believe Tilak performed admirably for us after we lost that wicket and during his partnership with Surya. He was eager to accelerate the scoring but was unable to do so. I held off until the final overs, hoping that since he had spent some time at the crease, he would be able to make a significant hit. However, I ultimately felt that we needed someone fresh, as he was having difficulties. In cricket, such situations are unfortunate, and it is never easy to make the decision to replace a player, but it was a tactical choice I had to make at that moment."

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