Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya blames top-order collapse in Powerplay for defeat in crucial match against Lucknow Super Giants
MI opener Rohit Sharma after being dismissed for four against LSG at the Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, on Tuesday. Pic/AFP
With every match, cricket lovers expected Mumbai Indians (MI) to turn things around. But that has just not happened. Nobody in their wildest dreams anticipated the high-profile team to be struggling like they have in this edition of the IPL. They have lost seven out the 10 games and are languishing in the ninth spot, with the berth in the Playoffs a distant dream. Miracles do happen on the sporting field, but the way MI have performed so far does not augur well for them in the remaining four matches.
MI have an envious star cast, with at least half a dozen players capable of winning a game on their day. But that has not happened as often. Besides, the team have just not looked as cohesive as it ought to be. The MI management has made every effort to bolster the morale of the group, but sadly with each defeat, things are going back to square one.
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MI skipper Hardik Pandya v LSG on Tuesday
MI had approached their match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Rohit Sharma’s birthday on Tuesday with renewed vigour after four of their top players had found a place in the Indian T20 squad. But somehow a side that has both the captain and the vice-captain of the Indian T20 team in their ranks just could not take off smoothly. The writing was on the wall within the six-over Powerplay phase as they lost four batters in a jiffy. Thereon it was like climbing a steep mountain.
Hard-fought tie
However, to their credit, the team fought right till the end despite defending a below-par total of 144-7 and with a bit of luck could have notched up an unexpected win. In the end, LSG barely got to the target with just four balls to spare.
After the defeat MI captain Hardik Pandya felt that not making a good start cost the team dear. He said: “Losing early wickets in the Powerplay is tough to recover from. Where we needed the most, we could not do well.”
He refuted the notion that the MI top-order was under pressure batting first because of the recent high scores seen in other matches. “Not really, you still have to see the ball and hit. The wicket was good. The ball was there to be hit and we just missed, that is the sort of season [it has been] for us so far. I have always believed that whenever you take to the field, sometimes you will be down, sometimes you will be up, and you have to fight [it out till the end]. It looks difficult [to believe] but there are a lot of things you can learn from this game.”
LSG captain KL Rahul felt that had MI got 15-20 more runs in their kitty, things could have been more difficult for his team. He said: “The pitch was a bit dry, but still if they [MI] had put up 160, it would have been a [more] competitive game.”
He defended the MI performance, saying: “For a team coming here, it takes time to adjust to the wicket. Our bowlers put pressure on them and made the job of the batters easier. We are always happy when we get those two points. We still need to get a few things right and hoping that we start gaining momentum at the back end.”
Not all over yet
Luckily, it’s not all over for MI at least mathematically as they have four more games and they can still reach 14 points and if the results of other matches go in their favour, they could still sneak into the Playoffs. It’s a long shot for sure, but then ardent cricket fans are eternally optimistic. So, till their next match against KKR at home on Friday, all MI fans will have their fingers crossed.
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