Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has criticised the batters of his team following the loss to Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday (May 9). After losing their first eight games of the season, the five-time champions won two in a row and looked set to register their third win on the trot after their bowlers’ fine display. Riding on Jasprit Bumrah’s stunning 5-wicket haul, Mumbai managed to restrict KKR to 165 for 9. However, the Mumbai batsmen failed to compliment the effort of the bowlers.
Rohit Sharma fell for 2 in the first over itself and from thereon, there was no way back for Mumbai. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were eventually all out for a modest total of 113 in the 18th over. Opener Ishan Kishan scored a fighting fifty but did not get much support from the other end. Apart from Kishan, no other Mumbai batsmen managed to cross the 20-run barrier. As many as six players could not even touch the double-digit mark as Mumbai became the first team in the history of IPL to lose 9 games in a single season.
For KKR, Pat Cummins starred with the ball. The Australia pace spearhead gave away just 22 runs in his 4 overs while dismissing Ishan, Daniel Sams and Murugan Ashwin in the same over. Allrounder Andre Russell also picked up a couple of wickets as KKR kept their slim hopes of progressing ahead alive.
Rohit Sharma disappointed with batsmen:
Speaking at the end of the game, Rohit Sharma did not beat around the bush and straightaway criticised his teammates for their poor batting. The Mumbai skipper stated that the target was not unachievable on that pitch before stating that he was disappointed with his team’s batting efforts. Rohit rued the lack of partnership during the chase. At the same time, he also lauded the bowling effort of his team and praised the bowlers for restricting KKR to 165 after their great start.
“Disappointed the way we batted. Poor from the batters. Not really (difficulty of batting on this pitch). We are playing our fourth game here and we know what to expect here. We know seam bowlers will get some help from the pitch. We didn’t get partnerships and you need partnerships chasing a total like that.
“I don’t think so (if Mumbai could have restricted KKR to a lower total). Looking at the way they batted in the first 10 overs, they were 100 runs in 10 or 11 overs. But the way we came back was brilliant. Great effort from Bumrah and the entire bowling unit. Batters let us down. It’s been that kind of a season where both departments weren’t consistent enough. It is something that we wanted to improve today but couldn’t do it,” said Rohit Sharma.
Mumbai’s next game is against Chennai Super Kings on Thursday (May 12). The record winners of IPL would be desperate to get back to winning ways and finish the competition with a few wins under their belt. KKR, on the other hand, will be in action again on Saturday. They will lock horns against Sunrisers Hyderabad.