Former Mumbai Indians batting coach Robin Singh has come out in support of MI captain Hardik Pandya after the team suffered a 103-run loss to Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025 on Thursday. Mumbai were completely outplayed as Sanju Samson smashed an unbeaten 101 off 54 balls, hitting 10 fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 187.04. Samson reached his century on the final ball of the innings with a six, propelling CSK to a formidable 207/6 in 20 overs.
Mumbai's Batting Collapse
In reply, Mumbai Indians' batting lineup collapsed dramatically. Only Suryakumar Yadav (36) and Tilak Varma (37) managed to cross double figures. Three batters were dismissed for ducks, while Hardik Pandya himself failed with the bat, scoring just one run off two balls before being dismissed by Noor Ahmad. The team never looked in contention during the chase.
Robin Singh's Defense of Hardik
After the match, former MI coach Robin Singh posted on X (formerly Twitter) stating that the captain alone should not be blamed for the defeat. He wrote, "Seeing the fallout of comments after MI's loss vs CSK at the IPL last night... and having been part of their management until a few years ago, I feel it is quite impossible to blame just the captain for this debacle."
Singh questioned the performance of experienced international batsmen: "What's up with proven international batsmen with the target in front of them? Are they not supposed to keep the run rate achievable? That's the role of each and every player. So who decides to chase all the time upon winning the toss? For clearly it's not working." He added, "Agreed there were poor decisions made by the captain, but there are so many international captains in the team. Why can't they go up to him and advise? So if a captain has a poor season, the whole team has an excuse to collectively collapse as well? And in this team, a lot of plans are made in the team room."
Mumbai Indians' Position in Points Table
Mumbai Indians are now languishing in eighth place on the 10-team points table with five defeats and only two wins. They need to turn things around quickly to keep their playoff hopes alive. Tilak Varma has been MI's top run-scorer this season with 181 runs, highlighting the struggles of the batting unit. India captain Suryakumar Yadav has scored 157 runs so far. The bowling department has also underperformed, with lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah taking only two wickets in seven matches.
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