News Analysis India

Tag: Mumbai Indians

  • Shah Rukh Khan apologises to fans after KKR’s ‘disappointing performance’ against Mumbai Indians

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor and KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan apologised to fans after the team’s “disappointing performance” against defending champions Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.

    Mumbai Indians defeated KKR by 10 runs thanks to an all-rounder bowling performance from the Rohit Sharma-led side. Andre Russell’s five-wicket haul had bundled Mumbai Indians out for 152 after batsman Suryakumar Yadav’s (56) quickfire knock. In response, KKR was restricted to 142/7.

    KKR were right on the track for an easy win but Chahar spun a web and removed the top four batsmen before Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult’s fiery spell handed Mumbai Indians the match.

    Taking to Twitter Shah Rukh wrote, “Disappointing performance. to say the least @KKRiders apologies to all the fans!”

    Disappointing performance. to say the least @KKRiders apologies to all the fans!
    — Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 13, 2021

    Chasing 153, KKR got off to a perfect start as the openers Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill stitched a 72-run stand for the first wicket. The duo made full use of the powerplay and smashed 45 runs in the first six overs.

    Chahar provided Mumbai Indians the first breakthrough as Gill in an attempt to go for back-to-back sixes got out in the ninth over. Minutes later Chahar picked his second wickets for the day as he dismissed Rahul Tripathi for a paltry five in the 11th over to reduce KKR to 84/2.

    Nitish and Eoin Morgan scripted a brief partnership of 20 runs. However, Chahar wreaked havoc and dismissed the KKR skipper in the 13th over.

    With Nitish’s wicket, Chahar removed KKR’s top order to turn the game in favour of Mumbai Indians in the 15th over. In the next over, Krunal Pandya joined the party and dismissed Shakib Al Hasan as KKR lost half of their side with 31 runs still needed in 28 balls.

    Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik then played sluggish knocks in order to not lose any wicket but the batsmen still failed to get KKR over the line.

  • Kolkata Knight Riders bowl out Mumbai Indians for 152 as Russell takes five

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Andre Russell did a star turn coming to bowl in the 18th over as his career-best 5 for 15 helped Kolkata Knight Riders blow out Mumbai Indians for 152 in an Indian Premier League game on Tuesday.

    Opting to bowl, Eoin Morgan’s astute captaincy was on full display as he used his resources to perfection to choke MI in the middle-overs after Suryakumar Yadav threatened to seize control with his 36-ball 56.

    The World Cup-winning England skipper used Pat Cummins cleverly in the middle-overs as the Aussie returned with 2/24, but the masterstroke was certainly keeping Russell for the fag end as MI lost last seven wickets for 37 runs.

    Russell was brought in only after Cummins finished his spell in the 16th over as the Jamaican used the platform to perfection by dismissing Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Rahul Chahar in the final four balls en route to his milestone.

    But it was Shakib-Al-Hasan who deserves equal credit for stopping the run-flow as the Bangladesh left-arm spinner dismissed Suryakumar in the 11th over and changed the complexion of the innings.

    Suryakumar was in the midst of a belter of an innings, smashing two sixes and seven fours to lift them from a sluggish start as MI looked in balance with 81/1 at midway stage.

    He was on a roll against Prasidh Krishna, creaming the seamer for a six and followed it up for successive boundaries.

    Suryakumar then launched into Pat Cummins for a 99-metre maximum that landed on the Chepauk roof to cruise to a 33-ball fifty, his 12th in IPL.

    Before he could make it big, he holed out a skier to Shubman Gill at long-on.

    And off the next ball, Cummins laid a perfect trap for Ishan Kishan with a bouncer which the diminutive left-hander pulled straight to square leg fielder.

    As Prasidh leaked runs, the spin duo of Varun and Shakib managed to keep the duo of Rohit and Hardik quiet in the middle overs as they scored only 33 runs from 10-15 overs.

    Looking for breakthrough, Morgan once again brought in his pace spearhead Cummins who lived up to his expectation cleaning up Rohit with an offcutter, and in the next over Prasidh dismissed Hardik to break MI’s backbone.

  • Kolkata Knight Riders wins toss, asks Mumbai Indians to bat

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bowl against Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.

    KKR are fielding an unchanged side, while MI have replaced Chris Lynn with South African Quinton de Kock, who was in quarantine for their first game.

    The Teams:

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan(c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik(wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy.

    Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton de Kock(wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Marco Jansen, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah.

  • 2017 IPL final victory against Rising Pune Supergiants my favourite: Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: Mumbai Indians has won five titles in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but the sweetest victory for Rohit Sharma is the one against Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) in 2017.

    In the final of the mega event, Mumbai Indians scored just 129 runs. Thanks to a gutsy 47 from Krunal Pandya, Mumbai managed to get over the 120-run mark.

    In response, the Steve Smith-led Rising Pune Supergiants fell just two runs short of the target, giving Mumbai Indians their third title win in the IPL. Former India skipper MS Dhoni, who played for Pune Supergiants in 2016, 2017 too failed to take the side over the line in the summit clash.

    “I would pick 2017 as we only made 129 and to defend that score on any pitch in any conditions against any opposition in a final is a big achievement,” Rohit told India cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues when asked about his favourite win in an interview on social media.

    On being quizzed about who had struck more boundaries in IPL between him and Chris Gayle, Hitman (as Rohit is fondly called) promptly said that Chris might have hit more sixes, but he was still the man who has hit more boundaries than anyone else in IPL. Answering the question, Rohit said, “No, I have more 4’s in IPL than Chris. He has got more 6’s for sure in the IPL.”

    Rohit Sharma fondly recalled the headlines newspapers put out the day after he scored the record-breaking 264 against Sri Lanka. He said, “I remember because the next day there was a headline saying Rohit Sharma beat Sri Lanka.”

    But even the Hitman was taken aback when Jemimah asked him to pick between his childhood ground and his home ground, i.e. Borivali Sports Club and Wankhede Stadium. Preferring to skip the tough pick, he said, “Don’t let me pick this one I can’t choose between the two! On one ground, I started my cricket career, whereas, on the other, I started my professional career. It is really hard for me to pick!”

    Rohit’s love for Indian movies also came out quite vividly as he chose the 1992 sports drama Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. He said, “That movie (Jo Jeeta…) was quite emotional. We were quite young, and it created a spark in me. I remember I was in school. That last scene where the race was won was just incredible.”

    The whole conversation between the two Mumbaikars took place when they caught up to chat on Dream11’s #TeamHaiTohMazaaHai segments called ‘Third Umpire’ and ‘Dil Ya Dimaag’.

  • In some ways, I think this is a bad move for Mumbai Indians to pick up Marco Jansen right now: Scott Styris

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians’ pacer Marco Jansen might have impressed one and all with his performance against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League, but former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris reckons that it was a bad move on the part of the franchise to pick the Proteas bowler.

    Styris believes other franchises will now take notice of Jansen and with a big auction coming up next year, Mumbai might not be able to retain him.

    “I thought it was a phenomenal performance. I haven’t seen much of him as well. I asked Parthiv Patel, who has had a little bit of scouting experience with Marco. All around, I thought he is incredibly impressive and the reason for that is not about the simple factor that he gets bounce because he is six foot eight, which is what you expect. He touched 143mph, which is serious pace. He is going to get bounce if he has got pace. And he started, on that pitch, to bowl the slower balls as well,” said Styris on Star Sports’ show ‘Cricket Connected’.

    “But in some ways, I think this is a bad move for Mumbai Indians to pick up Marco Jansen right now, because now, as we are doing, we are talking about it, everybody is talking about it. And with the possibility of a major auction next year, then I think Mumbai may have to suddenly pay up big bucks because they are not going to keep him,” he added.

    Further elaborating on his point, Styris said: “So, I would suggest, to think a little bit long-term, maybe put him on the ice this year and Mumbai Indians could have swept in next year having for a long time like Lasith Malinga. Because I think he has got that skill to be a starting front-line bowler in the IPL for 10 years.”

    Jansen playing his first game for Mumbai Indians returned figures of 2-28 from his four overs. Along the way, he also picked up key wickets of Glenn Maxwell and Shahbaz Ahmed.

    AB de Villiers played a knock of 48 off just 27 balls with the help of four 4s and two 6s to help RCB defeat Mumbai Indians by two wickets in the tournament opener on Friday in Chennai.

    Mumbai Indians will next lock horns against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) later on Tuesday.

  • I have to do a lot of maintenance work for my lower body, hamstring: Rohit Sharma

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma says he has to do “a lot of maintenance work” to ensure he remains in peak physical condition ever since the hamstring injury he suffered during the last IPL.

    The stylish right-handed batsman missed some part of the IPL last year and the initial portion of the Australia tour, including the white-ball leg, due to the injury.

    “Maintaining what I have built up in the last three or four months. Obviously I was injured during the last IPL. So there’s a lot of maintenance work that I have to keep doing just to maintain my lower body, hamstring and stuff like that,” Sharma said in ‘Captain’s Corner’, a video posted by Mumbai Indians on its twitter handle on Tuesday.

    Speaking about the hard work put in by the players who took part in a fitness session after MI’s loss in the tournament opener of this edition of the league, Rohit said they take a lot of pride in that.

    “Exactly that is something we take a lot of pride in. We want to keep putting that effort whether we win the game, lose the game, it doesn’t matter. For us, what matters is the preparation.

    “It is great to see some of the fast bowlers who played in yesterday’s game come out and do the fitness drills, which is always nice. That’s what MI always takes pride in. Putting that extra yard in, that’s why we get the results in our favour,” he said ahead of the five-time champion’s next game against KKR.

    He harped on team bonding and said Mumbai Indians does most things with a group of players.

    “A lot of players getting involved in whatever it is. Whether it is going outside and playing a game, whether it is doing fitness, whether it is attending meetings. We try and do that with a group of players.

    “There is a lot of interaction especially about the game that is played or the game that is about to come. Just to keep that bonding going.

    “Every year we see new faces and staff coming in to the squad, we want everyone to get adjusted to MI culture. It is important to have that togetherness. We have maintained that and we will continue to do that,” he added.

    Asked what happens during the day and at training sessions, the MI captain said they would look to catch up and strategise as there is no home advantage this year.

    “We just wanted to catch up, no home advantage this year. We are playing in different venues. We need to strategise, what sort of game plan to have. We all know as individuals, what is expected.

    “Through the course of our training session today we will have chat individually. We will see what one needs to get out of these practice sessions.

    “We have set some standards in this tournament. I would like us to continue to do that. And how we lead up to those games will be very critical,” he added. Rohit, who has played 200 IPL games, said, “That’s a good milestone. I hope I can double that up by playing another 200 (laughs).”

    Defending champions MI lost the season opener to Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai on April 9 and will take on KKR later on Tuesday.

  • Jasprit Bumrah is your trump card, have to use it in an aggressive manner: Zaheer Khan

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: Zaheer Khan, Director of Cricket Operations, Mumbai Indians on Monday said the last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was a tipping point in Ishan Kishan’s career and the left-handed batsman has just flourished from there.

    Mumbai Indians lost the opening game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Friday and now the side would lock horns against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Tuesday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

    “Ishan Kishan is looking assured, he is looking calmer. When you are growing as a cricketer, you are trying to make that impact at the highest level, you have that tipping point. The last year was a tipping point for Ishan when he played that knock against RCB, he just flourished from there, he is in the same zone, he is going about his business, he is making sure that he is continuing his processes and spending enough time in the nets,” said Zaheer during a virtual press conference on Monday.

    Before IPL 2021, Ishan had made his T20I debut for India and he played a match-winning knock in his very first match on the big stage.

    “Well, I think giving them freedom to express themselves is very important. As a setup, we encourage that and we encourage each and every individual to bring out their original self in the middle. When you do not have that clatter of thought, you are able to express yourself freely. We do have healthy discussions around what they can add to their game, as cricketers, you always look to evolve yourself to try and understand the game better. We try hard, we are lucky enough to have a squad in hand who keep pushing the boundaries,” said Zaheer.

    When asked about Jasprit Bumrah not bowling enough at the start of the innings, Zaheer said: “Bumrah is your trump card, when you have a trump card, then you have to use it in an aggressive manner, when you really need it. That is how the process revolves around Jasprit, he can turn the game around at any stage.”

    Opening batsman Chris Lynn played a knock of 49 runs in the first match against RCB, but his spot is not guaranteed anymore as wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has finished his quarantine and he would be available for the match against KKR.

    “It is a good headache to have as a management, we are lucky to have such a squad where people are waiting to grab their opportunity. We have players who keep pushing each other so that is the exciting part. All I can say is as management when you have these types of headaches, it is assuring that you are well set in the tournament,” said Zaheer.

  • IPL 2021: Have to wait and see how the tournament shapes up if dew is a factor, feels Zaheer Khan

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: Zaheer Khan, Director of Cricket Operations, Mumbai Indians on Monday said it needs to be seen how the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 shapes up if dew becomes a factor in each and every game.

    Zaheer’s comment comes on the back of CSK skipper MS Dhoni and SunRisers Hyderabad captain David Warner talking about the dew factor and the role it is playing in IPL games this season.

    “If there is a dew factor, then we have to wait and see how the tournament shapes up. As we play more and more games, whether it is actually becoming a factor in terms of an advantage to one team, we have to wait for that,” said Zaheer during a virtual press conference.

    After the loss against KKR, Warner commented on the dew factor, saying: “The dew made a difference. If the bowlers overpitched, it was easy to hit it, and with the height in their team, and with the cross-seam, it stopped a little bit on us.”

    On the other hand, CSK skipper Dhoni said that the 7:30 PM start is giving an advantage to the team chasing as the dew sets in and chasing becomes a lot easier. “Especially when you have dew in your mind and you are batting first, you want to get those extra 10-15 runs — that was normally in 8pm start games. Now the 7.30 start means the opposition will have at least half an hour when there will be very little amount of dew on the field, which means it will not come on as nicely as it will in the second innings.

    “So you have to score those 15-20 extra runs to make it even, and after that also you have to get early wickets to make a big mark on the game,” said Dhoni.

    IPL matches traditionally used to start at 8 pm but the timings have been changed with evening games starting at 7:30 pm while the afternoon games start at 3:30 pm as compared to the initial scheduling of 4 pm.

  • There was a little bit of shoulder concern but you will very soon see Hardik Pandya bowl: Zaheer Khan

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians Director of Cricket Operations Zaheer Khan on Monday said the side is confident that Hardik Pandya will bowl in this edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    The all-rounder did not bowl in the last edition of the IPL. While he has bowled on and off for India, he didn’t bowl in the season opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai on Friday.

    “Hardik as a whole package is of great value everyone knows that. It was a workload-related thing in the previous game. He bowled in the whole series against England and in the last ODI he bowled about nine overs and that’s why in consultation with the physio we have to take that approach,” Zaheer said in the pre-match virtual press conference ahead of the clash against Kolkata Knight Riders.

    “There was a little bit of shoulder concern but don’t think it is worrisome and you will very soon see him bowl. For the timelines, you have to ask the physio but in terms of Hardik the bowler coming in this tournament, we are very confident that he will be chipping in with the ball in his hand as well,” he added.

    Former India pacer confirmed that Quinton de Kock and Adam Milne will be available for the clash against KKR.

    “Quinton is out of his quarantine, he did his practice session yesterday with the team. Looking forward to the season, he will be available for tomorrow’s game,” he said.

    When asked will Chris Lynn and Marco Jansen be replaced by de Kock and Milne against KKR, he said, “We have to wait till tomorrow that’s closer to the game, we will take that decision on that. But very excited with Marco as well, the squad is looking very good whether I see them in the practices they are very upbeat and looking for that opportunity. When you are part of the champion side you have to wait for your opportunities and that’s what all the group is aware of.

    “Similarly, when you see a youngster like Marco going out there and making that kind of impact. Obviously, he was nervous in the first game but now he is nice and relaxed. He made a good comeback on his IPL debut. Lynn is a pro. He is a good character to have in the dressing room. As professional athletes, you have to be prepared, you have to align yourself with how the team management is thinking and the communication is going to be the key,” he added.

    Zaheer further said Kieron Pollard and Hardik will be their sixth bowling option in the tournament.

    “Pollard is our sixth bowling option. He is an experienced campaigner in our squad. So, he is definitely going to be our sixth bowling option and whenever Hardik starts bowling, he is going to be our bowling option as well. In that department, we not very concerned. You have to just adapt and adjust,” Zaheer said.

  • Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma looks at positives after defeat to RCB

    By Express News Service
    CHENNAI: Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma expressed his disappointment after the defending champions lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural tie of the 2021 Indian Premier League on Friday. 

    After RCB won by two wickets, the Indian team vice-captain said the tournament was a long one and that his team will bounce back.

    Rohit admitted that his side were some runs short and believed that was one of the prime reasons behind the loss.

    “I thought it was a great effort and good fight till the end. I thought we were 20 runs short with the kind of start we got. We made some mistakes in the first game, bound to happen,” he said.

    A major turning point in the match was when Rohit got run out after a mix-up with Chris Lynn.

    “Look, obviously I was a bit nervous, no doubt about it. It was my first game for Mumbai and it was the first time I was batting with Rohit as well. It happens in the game of cricket as well. I thought there was a run and then obviously there wasn’t a run. But yeah, if I had been able to run past him and sacrifice my wicket, I definitely would have done that, but it wasn’t the case,” said Lynn.

    He added: “As I said, it happens, but yeah, I put just a little bit more pressure on myself. It’s not ideal, running out your captain in the first game. But anyhow, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, happens in the game. It would have been nice if the run-out didn’t happen as Rohit was striking the ball nicely, and we were 10 or 15 runs short in the end. Rohit would have definitely made a difference, but there were plenty of factors in this game tonight, not just the run-out.”

    Rohit identified the positives in the defeat. He was happy that his team found a quality bowler in 20-year old Marco Jansen. The South African picked up two wickets including that of Glenn Maxwell.

    “He’s (Jansen) a talent we have identified to bowl in any situation. We wanted to get wickets when AB and Daniel Christian were batting, which is why we went with Bumrah and Boult. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. It’s definitely not an easy pitch to bat on. We need to identify the situations and get variations. AB was brilliant and got them home,” observed Rohit Sharma.

    Meanwhile, Lynn felt that his team perhaps missed a trick by not having a sixth bowling option. 

    After bowling against England for India in March, Hardik Pandya did not even bowl a single over against RCB.

    “It is more precautionary, he (Hardik) has played a fair bit of cricket leading into this tournament. We have 14 games as well so you do not want to throw all your eggs in one basket and risk the injury if it is a shoulder. If Hardik gets back to bowling, it adds another dimension to our team,” said Lynn.