Mumbai, Apr 14:
Mumbai Indians need to reduce their over reliance on Jasprit Bumrah if they are to gain consistency in the IPL, says former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis.
Mumbai Indians, perennial slow-starters, have lost three games on the bounce after winning their tournament opener.
On Sunday night, they conceded 240 runs against RCB but failed to chase them down.
Pacer Bumrah is their trump card but is yet to pick up a wicket in four games. Du Plessis reckons MI need to look beyond Bumrah’s four overs and use their pace spearhead judiciously at the same time.“When you look at that bowling attack, especially in high-scoring games of 250 or more, you have to assess what the rest of the attack is conceding beyond Bumrah’s four overs, which are usually very economical. That’s where Mumbai Indians need to find answers,” du Plessis told Star Sports.
“They need to maximise Bumrah’s impact by using him at key stages, but it doesn’t get any easier with strong batting line-ups continuing to dominate. They will need to sit down and reassess their approach, particularly in the Powerplay, whether that involves tactical changes or bringing in different personnel.”
India great Sunil Gavaskar feels Mumbai Indians need to improve in the powerplay both on batting and bowling front.“They needed to score at least 12 runs more to stay on track with the required rate, but they couldn’t manage that. Even while rotating strike, the required rate kept climbing. That is an area they need to address,” said Gavaskar.