Hardik Pandya throws bat at non-striker end after MI fail to win in last over despite denying single to Mitchell Santner

It was strange, bizarre and, to some extent, even weird last few overs in the Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2025 match at the Ekana Stadium on Friday. You almost had to rub your eyes or pinch yourself to believe what was happening. In the 19th over, MI took the unpopular decision of retiring out Tilak Varma and bringing Mitchell Santner in the middle when 24 runs were needed in 7 balls.

Even as fans and experts tried to find logic in the 'bizarre' decision, MI captain Hardik Pandya added another chapter to it by turning down a single in the last over to keep strike when they needed 14 off 4 balls. If Santner had been sent to hit the big shots in place of Tilak, then would Hardik have denied a single? What was the point of retiring out a top batter like Tilak when the man replacing him can't be trusted in the last over?

With 14 needed off 3 balls, only sixes and fours could have saved MI. Hardik got the ideal length ball from Avesh Khan. On another day, he would have deposited deep into the stands but he swung so hard it that he lost his shape and ended up getting an inside edge onto his pads.

The next ball was a low full toss. Hardik's bottom hand came off the handle and all he could do was to push it to long-off. This time, he reluctantly decided to take the single but before completing the run, he realised it was of no use. Even keeping the strike was of no use. Whatever calls MI took in the final two overs of their 204-run chase against LSG completely backfired.

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It is difficult to know whether all these thoughts crossed Hardik's mind when he was gingerly making his way to the non-striker's end, but the way he threw his bat in anger narrated a thing or two. Hardik did not even care about reaching the other end. He lifted his bat and threw it away. It was a disappointed and angry captain's reaction to being unable to close the match.

"Disappointing when you lose. If we had to be honest, in the field, we gave 10-12 runs too many. We fell short in the end," Hardik, who was unbeaten 28 off 16 balls, said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Hardik, who had a brilliant outing with the ball, picking up his maiden five-wicket haul in the IPL, took full ownership of MI's 12-run loss. "Today was one of those days. As a batting unit, we fell short. We win as a team, we lose as a team. I take full ownership," he said.

MI's chase was under control until Suryakumar Yadav was at the crease. After his dismissed for 67 off 43 balls in the first ball of the 17th over, things started to go downhill for the five-time champions. MI failed to get the boundaries despite the required rate being 12 runs an over. Tilak Varma batted 23 balls for just two fours; one of them came from a streaky outside edge. The talented left-hander, who is the only batter in the world to hit a hat-trick of centuries in T20 cricket, had a tough day in the office. No matter how hard he tried, the boundaries just didn't come.