2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by MI in their IPL 2024 match vs RR

The Mumbai Indians (MI) slumped further in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) as the Rajasthan Royals (RR) thrashed them by nine wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday, April 22.

After the defeat, their fifth of the season, the five-time champions are languishing in seventh place. With only six points to their name, they need to be near-perfect hereon to make a playoff push.

It's been a miserable season for Mumbai, who have been troubled by off-field issues and various controversies. They've been distinctly sub-par from a tactical standpoint as well, and they made plenty of rather amateur errors during their loss to the Royals.

Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by MI in their IPL 2024 match against RR.

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#3 Mistake - Hardik Pandya won the toss and bizarrely elected to bat

Hardik had a disastrous game [Image Courtesy: iplt20.com]

The first mistake from MI came even before the game began. Hardik Pandya won the toss and bizarrely elected to bat first, with a gleeful Sanju Samson stating that he would've bowled first anyway.

There was virtually no meaningful reasoning behind batting first being a viable option. Hardik stated that his team hadn't much dew in the two days ahead of the game, but that had been a factor in previous fixtures at the venue, so there was no need to take a risk.

MI's team composition lends them to be a better team while chasing. With RR being batting-heavy in the last few games, they were always going to be the favorites against even an above-par total. The threat of rain, which made an appearance, only made it an even easier call.

It was an inexplicable decision from Hardik and the MI team management, who seemingly didn't pay any attention to previous matches in Jaipur, where the wicket was two-paced to start with but got better as the game wore on.

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#2 Masterstroke - MI finally picked the right team, with Nehal Wadhera starring

For the first time in IPL 2024, MI picked close to their strongest XI and gave themselves an excellent chance of winning. Nuwan Thushara and Nehal Wadhera slotted in for Romario Shepherd and the expensive Akash Madhwal, with Piyush Chawla returning to the fold as well.

RR didn't need to take too many risks in the chase, so Thushara's death bowling was barely used. He did decently in the three overs he bowled, though, and could prove useful going forward.

Wadhera starred in the first innings, proving his worth to the side. Taking on both pace and spin while playing an array of eye-catching shots, the left-hander grabbed his first opportunity of the season and made it seem silly that MI hadn't fielded him earlier.

The game might've ended in a one-sided loss, but Mumbai need to stick with the same combination and hope that their key players come good.

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#1 Mistake - Hardik Pandya didn't bring on his strike bowlers when his team needed wickets

When Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson were running away with the game, Hardik Pandya let the two points drift away from him by not bringing on his strike bowlers.

Hardik kept his spinners on to no avail and even bowled himself ahead of Jasprit Bumrah and Gerald Coetzee, who had been threatening in the powerplay. Even Thushara was only brought on when the game was already gone.

Hardik's bowling changes have been puzzling all season, and serious questions need to be asked of his thinking.