Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya expressed his delight at his team's resilience against the Delhi Capitals while also praising Karun Nair for his impressive performance. Nair, who has dedicated years to honing his skills in domestic cricket and had an outstanding previous season, continued his excellent form in the IPL when the Capitals opted to utilize him as an Impact Player against Mumbai. The 33-year-old played a valiant innings, scoring 89 runs off 40 balls, but ultimately could not lead his team to victory, resulting in the Capitals' first defeat of the season. His remarkable innings included 12 fours and five sixes, and he reached his half-century in just 22 balls, showcasing a diverse range of shots developed over years of experience in domestic play. This marked his first IPL fifty in seven years.

The 33-year-old boldly challenged MI's leading bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, hitting him for three fours and two sixes, which quickly applied pressure on the five-time champions.

Pandya acknowledged that at one point, they felt uncertain about how to bowl to Karun due to his exceptional shot execution.

“Winning is always significant, especially in matches like this. You must keep fighting, and it holds great importance. We were running out of ideas on how to bowl to him. The way he attacked our bowlers, seized his opportunities, and executed his shots was impressive,” Hardik stated during the post-match presentation.

He also commended Karn Sharma, who took key wickets of Abishek Porel, KL Rahul, and Tristan Stubbs, which shifted momentum in MI's favor.

"It demonstrates great character to be courageous and toss the ball up when the boundaries are only 60 meters. We never gave up; we kept insisting on staying in the contest. Everyone stepped up, and we managed to seize our opportunity," he added.

“Keep fighting was the chatter”: Hardik Pandya

He  explained the rationale behind the batting order, aiming to provide opportunities for players to regain form. He acknowledged the impact of dew on the game and emphasised the importance of staying in the fight and the potential for a couple of wickets to change the momentum.

"Wanted to get the players in form to face the most balls. Dew played a big factor later on, it got very dewy. Just by making sure the game is not over, “keep fighting” was the chatter. We knew a couple of wickets would change the game. It has happened with me before as well, wins like this change the momentum and turn everything around," he concluded.

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