Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith condemned 5-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians after their home loss against KKR. MI have been eliminated from the IPL 2024 after losing to KKR on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai by a margin of 24 runs. For the first time since 2012, the Knights defeated MI in Mumbai. At the iconic Wankhede, MI led KKR 9-1 before the clash, but the Knight Riders came on top and played brilliantly.
Following the defeat, Smith slammed MI, labelling them a confused group. He also said there may be chaos in the MI dressing room since the start of the season. There were varied reactions since Hardik Pandya took over as the team’s captain instead of Rohit Sharma. Smith claimed that the team appeared disoriented on the pitch.
“Hardik has had a lot of struggle. He appeared to be under stress, which has undoubtedly caused tension in their team atmosphere and might have impacted others. However, it appeared as though they were puzzled even with their batting lineup. I believe Wadhera and Tilak Varma should bat in the middle order. With Naman Dhir batting at number three tonight, they looked confused. Tilak at three, SKY at four, Hardik at five, David at six, and then figure out your bowling unit,” Smith said.
“This year, they have simply been a very disoriented squad. The performance of one of the powerhouses in IPL has been disappointing. The MI fan base and MI camp will be extremely hurt,” he added.
The southpaw suggested that MI should reconsider their core after the competition,
“With three matches left and a mega auction on the way, they must sort up their squad. They need to observe a few guys before releasing a particular player. Dewald Brevis, for example, has been a team member for years but hasn’t really been given many opportunities. The think tank will have to make a few big decisions for the upcoming year,” Smith concluded.