Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has questioned Mumbai Indians strategy for the current IPL season.
On Monday, April 22, the seventh-place Mumbai Indians will face the Rajasthan Royals at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium. With six points from seven games so far, a win against the Royals would bring the 5-time champions up to eight points, tying them with three other teams (CSK, LSG and GT).
Aakash Chopra claimed that the Mumbai Indians appear to be playing with just nine players as they haven’t been able to fully utilise Mohammad Nabi and Romario Shepherd.
“I don’t understand their decision to play cricket with nine players as they are not using Mohammad Nabi for batting and bowling. They seem unwilling to let him bat higher than number eight or nine, or to bowl at all. This shows a clear lack of confidence in his abilities,” Aakash Chopra said.
“Consider other bowlers if Romario Shepherd continues to struggle. His recent performance has been disappointing. If he is being selected as a batter ather than a bowler, you may need to re-evaluate the balance of the team. Reflect on the previous match as the bowling, except Bumrah, nearly cost you the game. Some changes are needed to strengthen the attack.” Chopra added.
In IPL 2024, the Afghan all-rounder Nabi has bowled only six overs across the four games he has played so far. In contrast, Shepherd has bowled 10 overs but has proven very costly for the team.
Chopra picked out players from the MI team who would deliver in the game against RR.
“I am going to pick Rohit Sharma first, he would seek revenge against Trent Boult. He was gone for a duck last time, so now he’ll look to fire at Boult. With his form, he is expected to go at the RR bowlers.” said Chopra.
“Then it’s Suryakumar Yadav, he has a couple of ducks but he is a phenomenal player, he can’t fail today. Last, it has to Jasprit Bumrah. He comes in the breaks the momentum of the opposition. He’s very economical and no team has scored over 20-25 runs against him. If he delivers, RR should look to score in the remaining 16 overs” concluded Chopra.