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Cricket News: Why are the Mumbai Indians struggling in the UAE leg? | Why are MI struggling in the UAE in IPL 2021 phase 2?
Mumbai Indians were fourth on the points table of IPL 2021 when the season was halted in May due to the COVID-19 scare. Their return to the UAE, a place with happy memories, was expected to elevate them higher on the table.
But six days into the tournament in the UAE, Mumbai have been far from convincing. The defending champions are reeling at seventh position in the tournament, with 8 points in 10 matches. They have played three games thus far since the resumption of the cash-rich league in UAE and have lost all three of them. Due to the consecutive big losses, against Kolkata and Bangalore, Mumbai’s Net Run Rate has also taken a major hit and is currently at -0.55.
With only four matches left for the five-time winners, the players need to pull up their socks as the race for the playoffs is on and Mumbai’s chances are fainting with every passing game.
So, where is Rohit Sharma’s team lacking as they hunt for the third consecutive title? We explore the reasons behind MI’s poor show thus far in the season.
Over-reliance on Kieron Pollard to finish off the innings:
Kieron Pollard is one of Mumbai’s most iconic players. Time and time again the big man from the Caribbean has proved his worth and has won so many games single handedly while wearing MI’s blue jersey.
He has been the spine of the lower middle order over the past few years. But since the start of the UAE leg of IPL 2021, Pollard hasn’t quite turned up for his franchise and the result is the failure of the batting group. Hardik Pandya, who’s been donning the finishing duties alongside Pollard has played only one game and couldn’t do much in that single game.
The Pandya brothers haven’t been able to support Pollard enough in this edition of the IPL which has added to Mumbai’s woes. The Paltan fans will have to worry a bit if the middle order continues to perform the way they’ve been doing this season as they’ll fall far behind in the race to the playoffs which means the dream of winning three IPL titles will remain a dream for five-time champs.
Krunal Pandya – Team’s weakest link at the moment
If this was 2017, Krunal would’ve been in the top rated players’ list of the franchise. But, sadly for MI, since the beginning of IPL 2021 he hasn’t been able to do the things that the franchise expect him to do with the ball and bat. Because of his diminishing all-round returns he’s been at the target of the critics.
It’ll not sound very harsh if someone says that the senior Pandya is the weakest link of Mumbai’s regular playing XI as he has been average with the ball and below average with the bat. He’s often been found clueless in both disciplines and that means he’s eating one spot up in the eleven.
Mumbai has shown faith in him as he has repaid the trust but time is running out for the Baroda all-rounder and also for his team. Mumbai can even try someone like Anukul Roy, who’s known for turning the ball unlike Krunal, and can be a handy option with the bat too. And if they persist with Krunal then he needs to show up or the playoffs gate will be closed for the reigning champions.
Struggles of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan
MI’s batting has been a major worry for the franchise as their mainstays with the willow, including Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, have been struggling for runs. One of the big reasons behind MI’s title defense last year was the rise of Ishan Kishan in the middle order. Ishan along with Suryakumar Yadav has taken a lot of load from the top order as well as from the lower middle order.
But they haven’t come good for them this season which is the reflection of the team’s poor show in the ongoing edition of the tournament. Both Ishan and Surya have been the middle-order enforcer in the team and they provide the steam to the batting group which has been lacking this season. The poor run of form of both the MI batters is one of the big reasons why they are yet to get a win for themselves in the second phase of the IPL 2021.
Because of the presence of Surya and Ishan in the middle, Mumbai Indians usually score at a quick rate in the middle overs. Both of them are flamboyant and also skillful enough to score against any bowling group. However, the openers have been doing their part but lack of support from the middle order is the root cause of Mumbai Indians’ problems this season. The right-left combination of Ishan and Surya holds the important key to Mumbai’s success and if they want to get back to winning ways then these two need to step up in all the remaining fixtures to give their team the best chance at the IPL title.
MI has always been the slow starters in the tournament; their first title also came in 2013 since the inaugural edition of the tournament. The team knows how to bounce back from any situation and reach the playoffs. MI can still qualify for playoffs but they need to perform exceptionally well and resolve all the concerns soon. Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Pollard, Bumrah, Boult can win the matches single-handedly for them, they just need to find their individual form quickly.
Written by Vaibhav Tripathi. Follow Vaibhav on Twitter today.
