Zaheer Khan said that Mumbai Indians (MI) are struggling in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) because Rohit SharmaSuryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma and Ryan Rickelton have not been able to convert their starts into big scores.
The great former India fast bowler shared this assessment after Mumbai Indians lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 18 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 12. This was Mumbai's third defeat in four matches.
“I think players are getting starts but not converting them into big innings. If you have to be critical, I think this team will talk about those aspects of the game where they have that kind of quality and ability. If one of them gets 60 or 70, then, suddenly, the game unfolds differently. You can rally around the guy who has had a good day. And that's something that is missing in this MI lineup. They We are used to seeing such batting performances.” Zaheer told Cricbuzz.
“Whether it's Surya, whether it's Tilak, whether it's Rohit, or Rickelton. One of them needs to score a good, big half-century to really hold that one end up to set that platform. That's their role. Set the platform for the back end and when the bowlers are under pressure the strike rate takes care of itself,” he said.
Royal Challengers scored a challenging 240/4 in their first innings, riding on half-centuries from Phil Salt, Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar. In reply, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 222/5 as Sherfane Rutherford's breathtaking innings of 71 not out off 31 balls went in vain. The 18-run win helped RCB consolidate their position in the top four.
Zaheer discusses Rohit Sharma's replacement
On Sunday, April 12, Rohit Sharma had to leave the field after facing just 13 balls as he was suffering from a hamstring problem. Zaheer said that if Rohit has to miss one or two matches, then Mumbai Indians can open with either Naman Dheer or Suryakumar Yadav.
Zaheer said, “They have a few options. If Rohit is not available due to injury, Naman Dheer can also open. Apart from Surya, I can't think of anyone else who can take the opening slot. Or maybe, go in the direction of Quinton de Kock, which will again change the balance of the team.”
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