Rhodes’ own career was defined by inner-circle brilliance, but he admits the boundary was once an afterthought. “There was no focus on the modern day ‘hotspots’ on the boundaries,” he said, before tracing the change to his coaching days with Mumbai Indians. Encounters with players like Kieron Pollard and Glenn Maxwell reshaped the approach, introducing the now-familiar art of airborne saves and relay catches.
In an era of relentless hitting and Impact Players, Rhodes sees fielding as cricket’s last line of resistance. Iyer’s effort, he believes, was not just spectacular but necessary. And perhaps, fittingly, it came under the watch of Ricky Ponting, “one of the greatest fielders in the game.”
Rhodes’ own career was defined by inner-circle brilliance, but he admits the boundary was once an afterthought. “There was no focus on the modern day ‘hotspots’ on the boundaries,” he said, before tracing the change to his coaching days with Mumbai Indians. Encounters with players like Kieron Pollard and Glenn Maxwell reshaped the approach, introducing the now-familiar art of airborne saves and relay catches.
In an era of relentless hitting and Impact Players, Rhodes sees fielding as cricket’s last line of resistance. Iyer’s effort, he believes, was not just spectacular but necessary. And perhaps, fittingly, it came under the watch of Ricky Ponting, “one of the greatest fielders in the game.”
South Africa great Jonty Rhodes has seen fielding evolve from instinct to innovation, from sharp reflexes in the ring to choreographed brilliance at the boundary. And yet, even he found himself in awe.
During Punjab Kings’ IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer produced a moment that felt both modern and inevitable. In the 18th over, with MI captain Hardik Pandya looking to launch Marco Jansen into the stands, the ball soared towards long-on. Iyer sprinted across, judged the trajectory, and completed a juggling act at the rope, catching the ball, tossing it back mid-air as he lost balance, and relaying it to Xavier Bartlett to complete a “team catch”.
Watching it unfold, Rhodes could not help but reflect. “Watching Shreyas Iyer perform that acrobatic fielding to assist in taking the ‘team catch’ made me appreciate how fielding has evolved since my retirement,” he wrote on X. For a man long dubbed the gold standard, the shift is personal. “For a long time, I felt like the ‘father of fielding’… but watching these modern athletes… makes me feel like the ‘grandfather of fielding’.”
Rhodes’ own career was defined by inner-circle brilliance, but he admits the boundary was once an afterthought. “There was no focus on the modern day ‘hotspots’ on the boundaries,” he said, before tracing the change to his coaching days with Mumbai Indians. Encounters with players like Kieron Pollard and Glenn Maxwell reshaped the approach, introducing the now-familiar art of airborne saves and relay catches.
In an era of relentless hitting and Impact Players, Rhodes sees fielding as cricket’s last line of resistance. Iyer’s effort, he believes, was not just spectacular but necessary. And perhaps, fittingly, it came under the watch of Ricky Ponting, “one of the greatest fielders in the game.”
#IPL #difficult #calls #Hardik #Pandya #Mumbai #Indians #suffers #fourth #consecutive #loss">IPL 2026: ‘We need to make some difficult calls,’ says Hardik Pandya after Mumbai Indians suffers fourth consecutive loss
Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya was left searching for answers after yet another Indian Premier League (IPL) defeat — a seven-wicket drubbing at the hands of Punjab Kings — and admitted that his team needed to go back to the drawing board to identify its shortcomings, while hinting that some tough calls could be taken in the upcoming matches.
Mumbai Indians has lost four of its five matches and is languishing in ninth place with just two points, while Punjab Kings sits atop the table with an unbeaten run, having collected nine points so far.
Despite a much-improved showing from Mumbai Indians, powered by Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten 112 off 60 balls to post 195 for six, it proved insufficient against a rampant Punjab Kings side.
Punjab chased down the target in just 16.3 overs for the loss of three wickets, with breakout opener Prabhsimran Singh continuing his fine form with an unbeaten 80 off 39 balls, while captain Shreyas Iyer hammered a 35-ball 66.
“To be very honest, I don’t have much to say right now. I think we really need to go back to the drawing board and see where we are lacking. Is it individuals? Is it as a group? Is it planning? We’ll just figure it out and see what we can do next,” said Pandya after another morale-shattering loss.
“No, I think we need to see, do we need to make some difficult calls, or do we need to keep continuing and hope that we’ll turn things around. These are some harsh questions which eventually we need to answer, and yeah, ownership has to be taken.”
Pandya also credited the opposition team for out-thinking the home side in all departments of the game.
“I think we need to give credit to them as well. The ball started reversing. In the second innings, the dew came, and it slightly got better, but having said that, they just outbeat us. They bowled better, they batted better, they fielded better definitely.
Iyer said staying grounded has helped the side execute its plans with precision.
“Certainly confident and optimistic the way we have been playing. Also we have our heads on our shoulder. I am glad that today we came out and got that victory,” said Iyer.
He also praised the coming-of-age of Prabhsimran, noting that the opener has consistently provided fluent starts and on Thursday carried the team through with an unbeaten knock.
“He (Prabhsimran) has certainly raised up his bar, even though he was getting runs, he was giving us excellent starts, this year he has been more mature, match by match he is getting more mature,” added Iyer.
Prabhsimran said self-belief helped him overcome a lean phase in the PowerPlay and take on the bowling more aggressively later in the innings.
“I was just believing in myself because in the PowerPlay, I didn’t get many balls to play. I think I played 6-7 balls in the PowerPlay. But then, in my mind, I thought that if I take a little longer, I will be able to play (better). So, I kept believing in myself that I would do it, and I did it. I just had this in mind that I will play the anchor,” added Prabhsmiran.
#IPL #Hardik #Pandya #hints #difficult #calls #Mumbai #Indians #searchesfor #spark #infaltering #campaign">IPL 2026: Hardik Pandya hints at ‘difficult calls’ as Mumbai Indians searches for ‘spark’ in faltering campaign
It may still be early in the season, but Mumbai Indians has already drifted into troubled waters, managing just one win from its first five matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The concern is no longer simmering; it’s out in the open. Following a seven-wicket loss to Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium, captain Hardik Pandya admitted that the team may need to take “difficult calls” if needed.
Even head coach Mahela Jayawardene, typically measured in his assessments, conceded that the side is still searching for the elusive “spark.” He pointed to the bowling unit as a key area of concern but was quick to stress that the responsibility does not lie with the captain alone.
“I don’t think it’s just on Hardik, I think it’s on every one of us when we are not doing well,” Jayawardene said. “It’s not an individual. It’s pretty much on me, everyone involved in the management and all that to see how we can be better.”
Despite insisting that the team hasn’t been completely outplayed, Jayawardene acknowledged that opposition sides have been sharper and more clinical, riding high on confidence. “We need to control the phases we can,” he added.
While the batting unit, particularly Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, has come under scrutiny for inconsistency, the bigger worry remains the lack of bite in the bowling. Jasprit Bumrah has been economical but wicketless, while Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar have failed to make a significant impact.
Jayawardene also pointed to disruptions caused by injuries and availability issues. Rohit Sharma missed the last game due to injury, while Mitchell Santner was sidelined by illness.
“The games we lost were all different, and some combinations were forced upon us,” he said. “We are trying to build with what we have, but we are finding some spark in certain areas, but the other side is finding that especially with the ball…”
With the season already slipping away, Mumbai Indians must regroup quickly and make decisive changes before facing Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
#IPL #coach #Jayawardene #reveals #Bumrah #niggle #ahead #season #bowling">IPL 2026: MI head coach Jayawardene reveals Bumrah had niggle ahead of season, says he is bowling well
Head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Thursday backed Jasprit Bumrah despite the pace ace going wicketless in five matches on the trot, but rued Mumbai Indians’ general ineffectiveness with the ball, especially in the PowerPlay.
Bumrah was smacked for 41 runs in four overs as Punjab Kings chased down the target of 196 with 21 balls and seven wickets to spare in their Indian Premier League (IPL) contest in Mumbai on Thursday.
“Bumrah is bowling well, it is just where we are not putting pressure in the PowerPlay,” Jayawardene told reporters after the match.
“They (opposition) know they don’t need to take too much risk against Bumrah. We tried a few different things, which he is trying as well, but they are batting well. I can’t put a finger (on something) and say that he hasn’t taken a wicket.”
The former Sri Lankan captain revealed that Bumrah carried a niggle at the start of the IPL 2026 but has pulled up well since.
“I think initially because he had a slight niggle which came from the World Cup,” he replied to a query on Bumrah’s inconsistent pace.
“We wanted to build him up (and) over the last few games, his speed has gone up. We’ve looked at all that, so he’s very comfortable. Sometimes, you need a bit of luck as well. (Bumrah) Bowled some really good balls initially to Shreyas (Iyer), but wasn’t lucky enough. Once he starts taking wickets, he might not be able to stop him doing that,” Jayawardene added.
However, Jayawardene did not dismiss the fact that the MI bowlers lacked the precision so far this season.
“But as a (bowling) unit, like I said before, we’ve lacked that penetration in different surfaces and that’s something that we need to work (on) and see what we need to do,” he said.
The head coach said Rohit Sharma’s injury is not serious and the team management doesn’t want to push him as it is “still early stages” of the tournament.
“He started running yesterday (Wednesday), he batted (as well)… taking it day to day to see how he feels. He knows his body better than anybody else. It’s nothing serious, but at the same time, we don’t want to push and it’s early season still, so the medical staff will take that call,” he said.
Jayawardene refused to accept that skipper Hardik Pandya was under pressure with MI losing its fourth match in a row.
“I don’t think it’s just on Hardik, it’s on every one of us. When we’re not doing well, it’s not an individual, it’s pretty much on me, everyone who’s involved in the management to see how can we be better,” he said.
“I know we’re playing good cricket — we’re not taken out completely — but at the same time the other teams are much better, clinical, (and) obviously the confidence is high as well when they have that kind of start,” he added, referring to Arshdeep Singh’s twin strikes that reduced MI to 15 for two at early on.
Jayawardene said it was a tactical call to pair up Quinton de Kock (112) and Ryan Rickelton for the first wicket.
“We do have an Indian opener (as) backup. But the things I have had to go through from yesterday (Wednesday) to today with the illnesses in our group and trying to get the right combination, is something which only I’m privy to,” he said.
“… we’ve had quite a few unfortunate injuries, illnesses within the camp (and because of) that we’ve not been able to get everyone on the park,” he added.
Jayawardene also rued MI losing momentum towards the end with the bat, along with Deepak Chahar’s 21-run first over.
“Quinny (de Kock) batted exceptionally, and it was a good partnership. At the end, we lost a little bit of rhythm; they bowled well to pull it back. I was hoping that we could get to that 210-220 mark if we had a couple of big overs,” he said.
“Losing momentum at the back end, as well as not setting the tone in that first over, probably put us back. (It was) another big over upfront. These are areas that we needed to be sharper (in) and execution-wise it was quite poor,” Jayawardene added.
#PBKS #IPL #Live #streaming #info #watch #Mumbai #Indians #Punjab #Kings #match #today">MI vs PBKS IPL 2026, Live streaming info: When and where to watch Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings match today?
Mumbai Indians will take on Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Mumbai has lost three of the four games it has played, sitting ninth in the table. Meanwhile, Punjab remains unbeaten with three wins from four games and one no-result.
Last season, PBKS won both its encounters against MI by seven and five wickets with one win being in the Qualifier-2.
Here are the live streaming and telecast details:
Where will the Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 be played?
The Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
When will the Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 be played?
The Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 match will be played on Thursday, April 16.
At what time will the Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 match start?
The Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 match will start at 7:30 PM IST.
At what time will the toss for Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 match happen?
The toss of the Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 match will take place at 7:00 PM IST.
Which TV channel will broadcast the Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 match?
The Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 match will be televised live on the Star Sports Network in India.
How to watch the live streaming of the Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 match?
The Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings IPL 2026 match will be streamed live on the JioHotstar app and website.
#PBKS #IPL #HeadtoHead #record #IPL #stats #top #rungetters #wickettakers">MI vs PBKS IPL 2026: Head-to-Head record in IPL, stats, top run-getters & wicket-takers
Mumbai Indians hosts Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, with the two sides entering the contest in contrasting form.
Mumbai is languishing in ninth place with just one win from four matches, while Punjab remains unbeaten, registering three wins from four games, with one fixture washed out due to rain.
The recent head-to-head adds further context. In the 2025 season, Punjab defeated Mumbai on both occasions they met, winning by seven and five wickets, including a decisive victory in Qualifier 2.
Here’s a look at their head-to-head record in the tournament:
