Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma urged his senior batsmen to pull up their socks after their seven-wicket loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
The men in blue got off to a good start with their openers Sharma and Ishan Kishan firing on all cylinders to score 61 within the powerplay with the loss of just one wicket. However, their middle order capitulated as Cameroon Green (12), Suryakumar Yadav (1), Tilak Varma (22), and Arshad Khan (2) failed to post big scores with the bat. Thanks to ‘Impact Player’ Tim David’s cameo of 31 off 22 balls, they were able to post a respectable total of 157/8 in their 20 overs.
In response, CSK chased down the total with the loss of just three wickets and 11 balls to spare after Ajinkya Rahane scored a quick-fire 61 of just 27 balls.
The loss meant MI are yet to win a game in the IPL this season. It is concerning given that MI were bottom of the league last year.
Wankhede cha Raja! 👑#MIvCSK #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 @ajinkyarahane88 pic.twitter.com/UDWVddBaJo
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 8, 2023
MORE: Latest IPL 2023 betting and odds
What did Rohit Sharma say after losing to CSK?
Sharma was critical of his team's performance after losing two on the trot and warned his senior players to get going to stop the rut as quickly as possible.
"We know the nature of IPL. We need to get some momentum, and if you don't it is going to be tough. Just two games, not all is lost, but the senior guys need to step up with the bat. That's the nature of the tournament. If you win, you can win on the trot. If you lose, it will hamper the momentum," he stated to Star Sports after the match.
"We have not been able to execute the things that we are speaking about in the change room. We have to do those things right. We know we had a very disappointing last season. You always start afresh. When we won the five trophies, we did not think about it. Every opposition is quality and you have to be the best to defeat them. These two games have happened now, you can't change. We have to learn and be more brave in doing stuff out in the field," he added.
MORE: IPL 2023: Date and TV schedule for T20 cricket tournament
When will Mumbai Indians play next?
After this disappointing loss at home, MI will get another opportunity to turn their fortunes around when they play Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 11.
