The three-match losing streak for MI has been broken. The artisans at work were Saurabh Tiwary, with a 45 (37), Hardik Pandya with a 40* (30) and Pollard’s 15* (7) and his game-changing 2/8, most of which came on one game changing over for the team.

Smiles on the faces of the Men in Blue and Gold, finally, at the end of the game, with a favourable result that has taken them to the double digits on the points table. This team, they’ve scripted comebacks before, and they sure believe they can do it again, and this match is proof of it!

The winning captain, Rohit Sharma, shared his feelings on the match and more at the post match presentation.

“It’s important Hardik spent some time in the middle”: Rohit Sharma

“As a team we didn't play to our potential, but these things happen when you play in such a format where you're competing really hard. It's important to stay within the group, and stick with each other. It's a long tournament. Yes we didn't have the run we would have liked but we have been in this situation many times so we can take confidence from that. The guys we have in the squad are ready to fight.”

“The way Hardik understood the situation was important from the team perspective and for himself also. It's important he spent some time in the middle. It was a very tough call to drop Ishan Kishan, but as a team we felt we needed a chance somewhere. But he looks very confident when you talk to him. Saurabh was batting well, he got a 50 against CSK. We wanted someone who could nudge around, and he played that role perfectly. I'm not ruling out anyone, we want Ishan to be back in form and playing for MI.”

“The pitches here are better than what we played in England! Towards the end of last year, it was pretty similar to what we are getting now. We need to change our tactics. There will be lots of change-ups from the opposition based on our batting line-up.”

“Pollard’s one of our key players. Been a crucial part of MI for so many years. Give him the ball, give him the bat, he's ready to do the job. Those two wickets were crucial. He'll be happy getting the Man of the Match for his bowling performance.”

Kieron Pollard is the Player of the Match for his pivotal two overs - one with the ball first, off which he took two wickets and gave away only eight runs, and one with the bat, where he scored 11 of the 13 runs in the 18th over.

Below are excerpts from his speech at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“It was important to get the two points”: Kieron Pollard

“My 300-wicket gesture was very important! Bowling's a bit under-rated eh! I just try to do my best whenever I get the opportunity. If needed, Rohit would have thrown the ball for me another over, but sometimes you just quit when you're ahead. As for when you’re batting, you watch the trend of all the matches going and see who will bowl and target bowlers accordingly.”

“For me to get these wickets, I'll take it each and every time. When you're out of form, the boundary looks like it's 150 metres. I don't have pace, I don't have spin, I don't have swing, but I have a little bit of brain! It was important to get the two points. Took 19 overs to get to the target but the two points were more important. Maybe it can spark something in the dressing room.”

Three losses in a row. And then comes a win. There’s three more games to go before the playoffs. Comebacks have been scripted by MI before, can this be the start of one more?