Picture Credit: Twitter
Mumbai Indians have become the only team to lose the first five games twice since the inception of the Indian Premier League. The fifth defeat in the ongoing season came against Mayank Agarwal-led Punjab Kings on Wednesday, where the latter posted a formidable target of 199. In response, Mumbai Indians were restricted at 186/9 and once again stayed away from their much-needed maiden win in the league.
Mumbai Indians opener Rohit Sharma (28 off 17) and Ishan Kishan (3 off 6) added 31 runs on board before the skipper returned to pavilion. The 84-run partnership between Dewald Brevis (49 off 25) and Tilak Verma (36 off 20) and Suryakumar Yadav's 43 was a breather for Men in Blue, but Mumbai slipped from a solid position to finish with 186/9 losing the fifth contest on the trot by 12 runs.
Mumbai Indians have been the most successful franchise in the tournament's history, and seeing them in tatters is not easy. Taking a dig at Rohit Sharma & Co., former Indian batter Wasim Jaffar was once again at its best and shared a hilarious meme post on Twitter, capturing the emotions of MI fans.
Check out the post here:
Speaking of the Mumbai Indians' performance, the most economical bowler for Men in Blue was their pace spearhead, who conceded just 28 runs in four overs, with one wicket. He finished the game with an economy of 7.00, while Basil Thampi picked two crucial wickets in the contest. On the other hand, Odean Smith emerged as a star bowler for Punjab Kings as he hunted down four of Mumbai batters and conceded 30 runs in three overs.
At the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma said, "I thought we played really, came pretty close to winning the game. Once, we were cruising along but didn't hold out nerves and let the opportunities slip away. We're trying to execute different ideas, but it's not working out well. Punjab players did really well in their respective departments. Credit goes to them."
With that loss, Mumbai Indians have slipped to the bottom of the points table with no win in the tournament. Whereas CSK, who had a similar fate in the league, registered their maiden win in the last game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Mumbai Indians will now face Lucknow Super Giants on 16th April at Brabourne Stadium, in Mumbai.
