Mumbai Indians’ (MI) wicketkeeper batter Ryan Rickelton has said that his team was 20 runs short after their loss against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their last league game of the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025). After being put in to bat first, MI posted 184/7 in 20 overs as Suryakumar Yadav once again helped the team with his quick half century (57 off 39). In reply, Punjab comfortably chased down the target in 18.3 overs on the back of match-winning knocks from Priyansh Arya (62 off 35) and Josh Inglis (73 off 42).
“Yeah, we were obviously about 20 runs short. That said, we didn’t mind batting first. We know that if we can set up a good platform and post a total between 200 and 220, with our bowling attack, we’re usually in a strong position. Historically, we’ve defended 200 quite well. It wasn’t a scenario we were dreading. I just think we lost wickets at crucial moments, and that prevented us from getting those extra 20 runs we were aiming for,” said Rickelton in the post-match presentation.
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Moreover, the MI opener also said that the loss is a wake-up call ahead of the Eliminator, but they have the skill to bounce back in the must-win game.
“They outplayed us tonight, so it’s a bit of a wake-up call. But I don’t think it’s the end of the world. The team is really starting to click nicely. There are probably just one or two areas we need to sharpen up—whether that’s with the bat, ball, or in the field. I don’t see it as something too concerning. We’ve got the skills within the group to bounce back. Come Friday, the guys will definitely be up for it. They’ll work on the areas we need to improve, and I’m confident we’ll be able to put in a strong performance,” he further added.
Following their loss, MI missed the chance to finish in the top two, and they finished fourth on the points table with 8 wins from 14 matches, having 16 points to their name as well. They will next play either Gujarat Titans or Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Eliminator game on 30th May as well.
