Six matches into the IPL 2018 season, Mumbai Indians are painting a picture of gloom and misery. The defending champions have lost all but one of their matches so far and it is only a Delhi Daredevils side in free-fall which has prevented the defending champions from occupying the bottom position in the league table.
The latest humiliating 31-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede stadium on Tuesday was an indicator of all that has gone wrong for Rohit Sharma’s men in the current campaign.
Here, we take a look at some of the reasons for Mumbai’s disastrous defence of the IPL crown.
MENTALLY SOFT
That Mumbai Indians have a positive net run-rate despite five losses in the six matches shows you all you need to know about the kind of campaign they are enduring. Out of the five losses they have suffered so far, four of them have been decided in the final over of the match.
Rohit’s men have squandered winning positions in the losses to Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad and have no one to blame but themselves.
Their inability to get over the finish line in crux situations reeks of a soft and weak mentality under pressure and is the primary cause of their dismal start.
POLLARD’S WOES
West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has been Mumbai’s go-to man over the years when things get tight. This year, the 30-year-old has simply not turned up. With a combined total of 63 runs in five innings, Pollard’s contributions with the bat have been woeful.
Normally, the Trinidad-born man chips in with the ball too but he has not bowled a single delivery for his side in the year’s edition. Without the added incentive of his bowling, Pollard’s poor batting has stood out like a sore thumb and his role in the side does not do justice to the big bucks splashed out by the franchise to retain him.
Kieron Pollard in #IPL2018 :
Against CSK : Didn’t bat
Against SRH : 28 off 23
Against DD : 0 off 1
Against RCB : 5 off 7
Against RR : 21 off 20
Against SRH : 9 off 6 #MIvSRH #SRHvMI— Come On CSK 💛 (@madam_jadeja) April 25, 2018
ROHIT’S OWN INEFFECTIVENESS
While Rohit’s captaincy has been questionable itself, it is the skipper’s non-contributions with the bat which are another major cause of worry for the defending champions. In the seven innings he has played so far, the opening batsman has crossed the 20-run mark only once. That was his 94-run knock in the side’s sole win which came against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Rohit had an equally poor season last year where he crossed the 30-run mark only twice and his struggles with the bat this season has only compounded Mumbai’s unending problems.
Rohit Sharma should try coming in at number 11 in the next match!!
— Mahesh Manjrekar (@manjrekarmahesh) April 24, 2018
MUSTAFIZUR HAS LOST HIS FIZZ
Mustafizur Rahman comes with a big reputation as a T20 specialist but the Bangladesh pacer’s mystery is fast dwindling. The ‘Fizz’ as he is called, Mustafizur has been made to look ordinary by plenty of batsmen this year.
His once upon a time unplayable range of slower balls have become all too predictable and he no longer carries the same threat as he did when he burst on to the international stage as a teenager.
The 22-year-old’s partnership with Jasprit Bumrah should have been a nightmare for opposing teams in the death overs but that has not happened. The Bangladesh star’s confidence seems to be at an all-time low and that does not bode well for the side’s slim hopes for a dramatic turnaround.
Mustafizur Rahman is conceding runs at 8.97rpo in this #IPL2018. That’s his third highest economy in any edition of any T20 competition. #MIvSRH
— #PTVSPORTS #pakvwi (@urduthePSLt20) April 24, 2018
