IPL 2021: Brian Lara 'worried' about Mumbai Indians, asks 'How are they going to perform?'

Former West Indies cricketer Brian Lara on Tuesday said that he is worried about five-time champions Mumbai Indians in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Lara said that he is worried about Mumbai Indians because they are going to Delhi next, which again is a sluggish wicket like Chennai. The West Indies batting legend said that he worried about Mumbai Indians performance because they have not been able to get on the winning run yet and the wickets in Delhi are also a bit sluggish. 

"I mean, it's such a tournament that it's so hard to say. I think the teams that are winning, like RCB, will go to every venue with confidence. It is the teams without confidence who will see venues as a problem, they would see pitches as a problem. I'm worried about Mumbai Indians. They are now going to another venue, which again, is a bit sluggish. How are they going to perform? I'm very worried about the double champions," Lara said while presenting for Star Sports. 

Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021

Apart from two games, Mumbai Indians have so far not been able to perform as per their standards, which has hurt their rankings on the points table. The Paltans are currently sitting at number four on the points table, all thanks to their net run-rate in the tournament. Mumbai lost the season opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 9 and then lost won two games on the trot before collapsing again in their next two matches in Chennai. Now, the franchise has moved to Delhi, where it will play its next set of matches before shifting the base to Bengaluru. 

So far in the cash-rich tournament, Mumbai's middle-order has struggled to perform. Mumbai's key hitters, including Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard, have remained the weak link for the defending champions, looking to making history with an eye on a third consecutive season victory this year. Mumbai will play its next match against bottom-ranked Rajasthan Royals (RR), who also have four points to their name but are below MI owing to their poor net run-rate. 

(Image Credit: AP/PTI)