Mumbai Indians suffered yet another loss as Kolkata Knight Riders defeated them by 24 runs on Friday and boost their chances of making it to the playoffs. With their eighth loss in 11 games, MI have no chance to make it into the top 4.
While batting first, the Knight Riders were bowled out for 169, but they recovered well during the innings, as they were 57/5 at one point. But the MI batting order was ineffective once more; with no batter scoring more than 30 in the run chase except Suryakumar Yadav (56). Furthermore, some of the batting order choices sparked many questions as captain Hardik Pandya coming in at No. 7 and Tim David at No. 8 in the lineup.
“KKR saved Russell, he faced only 2 balls. Tim David and Hardik Pandya also came out late. What results did you get from doing that? Many deliveries were left and they all departed. Perhaps you could have arrived earlier or finished the game sooner. I’m really wondering what happens to them in a chase. Pandya at seven and David at eight, are these players so awful that they will be dismissed if they bat early?” remarked Sehwag in Cricbuzz.
“When Hardik Pandya was the GT captain, he usually batted at number four. What is happening? Why are seasoned players are coming at the end? This is truly puzzling,” he continued.
The anchor commented that MI promoted Nehal Wadhera and Naman Dhir as they could be planning for the 2025 season. Sehwag argued that the team cannot plan for the future if it is hardly winning games in the present.
“If you are preparing for 2025, you need think about who should bat where right now. How can you imagine the future at this moment? You could have taken chances if you were eligible for the playoffs. You have been messing around with the batting order and are hardly winning matches,” Sehwag stated.
“This is very strange . The management must question the players and take harsh measures against them. Alternatively, players need to clarify why they are batting in a different position. This is the fault of the support staff, batting coach, bowling coach, and captain. Owners have to ask tough questions,” he concluded.