Rohit Sharma blames middle-order batsmen for loss against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021

Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma has blamed the middle-order batsmen for failing to capitalise on the start provided by players in the powerplay. After their humiliating loss against Delhi Capitals, Sharma said that Mumbai's batting unit failed to score runs in the middle overs, which eventually cost them the game at the end. The Indian opener, who provided a solid start with his 44 off 30 balls, did not get any support from down the order as Mumbai Indians lost their second game of the season. Sharma highlighted that the collapse has been happening a lot lately, adding "It is something we need to understand as a batting unit". 

Mumbai's middle-order woes

Mumbai Indians middle-order batsmen, including their key hitters Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard, have failed to score runs in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Mumbai Indians have a solid batting line-up but their collapse in the middle-overs in the past couple of games has been very expensive for the five-time champions. Last night, Mumbai got a good start as well after opener Rohit Sharma hit 44 runs. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan also contributed with the bat with 24 and 26 runs respectively. However, Mumbai's middle-order batsmen failed again to provide any help as the team collapsed for just 137 runs at the end. 

Hardik Pandya has scored just 35 runs in the 4 games that he has played for Mumbai Indians this season. Pandya's average in IPL 2021 is 8.75 and his highest individual score is 15. Pandya has scored just 5 boundaries this year with no maximums under his name. Meanwhile, Kieron Pollard has 49 runs in 4 games, which he scored at an average of 16.33 with a strike rate of 111.36, way below his average of 53.60 and strike rate of 191.42 in IPL 2020 edition. Krunal Pandya has also failed to make an impact with the bat having scored just 26 runs in 4 games. 

After winning the toss, Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma decided to bat first and post a total for the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi side. Delhi Capitals bowlers got a good start as they dismissed opener Quinton de Kock early on in the game. Veteran spinner Amit Mishra picked up four wickets for Delhi Capitals as the side managed to restrict Mumbai for just 137 runs at the end of the first inning. Delhi chased down the target in the final over of the match with Lalit Yadav and Shimron Hetmyer finishing the game for the last year's runners-up. Shikhar Dhawan hit 45 off 42 with Steve Smith scoring 33 off 39 balls for Delhi Capitals. 

(Image Credit: IPL/PTI)