A double-header Sunday came to an end not in the way MI fans would have liked. Despite a solid bowling performance and a strong start to the chase, RCB bowlers ran riot over MI’s batting line-up to register a commanding 54-run win. 

Jasprit Bumrah’s three-wicket haul and a great effort from Trent Boult were the best of MI today, but just those performances were insufficient to take MI over the line. 

Captain Rohit Sharma shared some thoughts on the game. 

“We need to bounce back from whatever situation we're in”: Rohit Sharma 

“Thought it was a fantastic bowling effort from us. At one stage they looked like they were scoring 180-plus. The batters let us down and that's been something that's been happening consistently. I have had a good chat with the batters and we have to make sure we carry on. I played a bad shot and got out, I felt that was the game-changing moment. They kept the pressure on us once a couple of wickets fell.” 

“We need to bounce back from whatever situation we're in. We've done that in the past. It’s just not happening this season. Ishan Kishan is a talented player. He had a terrific IPL last year. We want to back his natural game which is why he came up the order above Surya. I don't want to put too much pressure on the guy. He’s relatively young, making his way in international cricket.” 

The Director of Cricket Operations for Mumbai Indians, Zaheer Khan, also answered some questions from the media. 

Was the wicket slower than what you expected? 

“Not really, I think the wicket was fine. That’s what we got from the team batting first and how we started. I think it is a form based situation for us. You know, the middle order has not really fired for us in the last three games and that’s put us under pressure. So, losing wickets after getting that kind of a start is never going to help you recover.” 

Thoughts on Rahul Chahar’s form given he has been selected for the T20 World Cup 

“If you equate it to the number of wickets, you can say that. But, I’m pretty happy with the way he’s bowling. The ball coming out of his hand is absolutely fine. It’s just the situation of the game doesn’t allow you to be in that position. In terms of confidence, he is right up there. I don’t see any issues around that. It’s just about having a few tough games and when things are going tough, at times you don’t get the rhythm going.” 

MI is known for its dominance. What went wrong this season? 

“I think we have not been able to get ourselves going. That’s as simple as it gets. You’ve got to have 40 good overs of cricket. You’ve got to play good cricket throughout those 40 overs to win games of cricket. So we’ve been playing well in patches but not really able to sustain it and that has been the case so far.” 

How does MI resolve the middle order problem? 

“We don’t have too much time right now. We’ll have to really get things moving very fast. There’s going to be must-win games for us coming up. It’s very important that the team sticks together and brings whatever it takes to win games of cricket. That hunger is going to be very very important. That determination is going to be very important going forward. We’ve got to believe it. This team has done it in the past and there’s no reason why we can’t do it. But you’re right, the way MI is known to show dominance and play cricket, that aggressive nature of cricket, so far we’ve not seen.” 

Thoughts on Harshal Patel’s bowling today 

“He’s got the hat-trick today, the man should be on the moon at the moment. Bowled very well, his slower one is something that has become a trend this IPL. This season he’s been among the wickets. He’s the purple cap holder right now. So all the hard work he’s been putting in has come through and he’s having a fantastic season.” 

MI next play PBKS at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 28th September 2021.