The ongoing IPL edition comprising 10 teams has had an unexpected run so far. While new entrants Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants are placed in the upper half of the points table, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, who have a combined nine titles, are languishing in the bottom. (Follow IPL 2022 Live Score: PBKS vs SRH)
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Chennai have one win under their belt but Mumbai, the most successful franchise in the history of the competition, is yet to get off the mark. The Rohit Sharma-led team suffered its sixth successive loss on Saturday. Lucknow Super Giants outwitted Mumbai by 18 runs to inflict further damage to Mumbai's lacklustre campaign.
Mumbai's hopes are appearing dim for turning their season around and making the playoffs. Their skipper hasn't been in great form either. He has not managed a fifty in the six matches, scoring a total of 114 runs at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 129.
Former India player Sanjay Manjrekar spoke about Rohit's dwindling show with the willow. "Really don’t know what’s happening with Rohit Sharma. When he scores even 20, it seems like the machine is fine. But it suddenly stops working and he gets out. He looks in fine form, but he’s just not been able to perform," he told ESPNcricinfo.
“It’s not just about this season. He hasn’t made the kind of impact in the IPL that players like KL Rahul and David Warner have. I don’t know the reason - maybe he is too invested in international cricket. There is no problem with his technique. When you look at Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan, you can see that they are slightly out of form. Rohit is batting well, but the runs are not coming," he further added.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s not just about this season. He hasn’t made the kind of impact in the IPL that players like KL Rahul and David Warner have. I don’t know the reason - maybe he is too invested in international cricket. There is no problem with his technique. When you look at Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan, you can see that they are slightly out of form. Rohit is batting well, but the runs are not coming," he further added.
{{/usCountry}}Manjrekar also commented on Ishan Kishan's lean patch. In the recent February auction, Mumbai splurged ₹15.25 crore to get Ishan, who has struggled to put up a big score after scoring consecutive fifties in the first two games. The left-handed MI opener perished on just 6 against Lucknow.
“I have observed a pattern with Ishan Kishan’s batting. When he is in rhythm, he scores at a strike rate of 150. When the Indian Premier League was being held in Chennai during the first half last season, his strike rate had dropped to 80 for a few games. When he is struggling, he is completely out of form and his strike rate slips below 100," Manjrekar elaborated.