Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) suffered another shock at the Wankhede Stadium as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won a high-scoring IPL 2026 thriller by 6 wickets on Wednesday, April 29. After the game, captain Hardik Pandya created a stir due to his words against MI fans.
Mumbai Indians managed to put a big score on the board thanks to the fireworks from Ryan Rickelton (123*), but SRH completely turned the game around and chased the mammoth target of 244 runs like it was nothing, leaving the home team fans completely shocked and disappointed.
SRH players cheered loudly at MI’s home ground in the IPL 2026 match.
Even though the MI team is struggling badly in the ongoing IPL 2026, the franchise is still receiving huge praise from the fans. Despite the poor form this season, fans have been coming in large numbers to cheer their team, especially at the Wankhede Stadium.
Also read: IPL 2026: Mumbai Indians coach admits that Jasprit Bumrah has had a bad season
After another disappointing result at home, Hardik Pandya has openly admitted that the team has not given fans enough reasons to celebrate this season as they have now lost four consecutive matches at the Wankhede Stadium. The captain praised MI fans for remaining loyal and continuing to support the team in every match despite poor results so far in the tournament.
However, there were also some instances when the Mumbai Indians crowd was chanting for Sunrisers Hyderabad players, especially for Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head in the powerplay and then when Heinrich Klaasen was thrashing Jasprit Bumrah at the Wankhede Stadium.
It hurts when MI fans start cheering for the opposition: Hardik Pandya
This also caught the attention of Hardik Pandya. The captain admitted that he was hurt when SRH got more support than MI on their home ground. This shows how disappointed the fans have become with his disappointing performances and Hardik made it clear that he needs to win back their trust.
“Yes, I think we haven’t given them much of a chance to support us. But yes, they have been fantastic. They have been loyal. They have been brilliant. Yes, sometimes it hurts when the opposition comes and they start chanting our name. We need to entertain them more to make sure we get that love and belief from them,” Hardik Pandya said in the post-match presentation.
ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya literally drags Mumbai Indians to unwanted low in IPL at Wankhede
Muttiah Muralitharan leaves a big reality check for bowlers in IPL 2026
Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad spin bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan kept things very real about the bowlers’ struggles in IPL 2026. He pointed out that batting has completely changed in the last few years, and batsmen have become fearless and play aggressive cricket from the first over.
The Sri Lankan legend sympathized with the bowlers but suggested they accept the harsh reality and adapt accordingly. He also pointed to the moment where uncapped batsman Salil Arora hit a no-look six off Jasprit Bumrah and said that modern batsmen have no fear at all.
Muralitharan stressed that the bowlers will now have to keep working hard, be accurate and remain mentally strong as the game has largely shifted in favor of the batsmen.
“It is very difficult for a bowler because nowadays every team has an opening pair who don’t care about ins or outs; they just go after the bowling. Not much to say. They have to practice a lot and be as accurate as possible. On your day, you can perform well, even if you do well sometimes, you are at the end because of the wicket and the conditions,” the SRH coach said in the post-match press conference.