IPL 2021: Lara ‘worried’ for MI after indifferent start to their sojourn

Brian Lara, the former West Indies cricketer, has expressed concerns over the Mumbai Indians’ performance in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League. The team, captained by Rohit Sharma, is placed in the middle of the points table with two wins from their first five matches.

In their previous game, Punjab Kings beat them by nine wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Mumbai-based franchise has played all their games at the Chepauk and would now move to New Delhi where they are set to face Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals on Thursday.

Lara stated that the teams, which aren’t winning enough, might find it tough to adjust to pitches in diverse conditions. Ahead of the match on Thursday, the southpaw stated that MI have their task cut out on a ‘sluggish’ strip at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

I’m very, very worried about the double champions: Brian Lara

“I mean, it’s such a tournament that it’s so hard to say. I think the teams that are winning, like RCB, will go to every venue with confidence. I think teams without confidence will see venues as a problem, they would see pitches as a problem,” Lara was quoted as saying in Star Sports’ pre-show Cricket Live.

“I’m worried about Mumbai Indians. They are now going to another venue, which again, is a bit sluggish. How are they going to perform? I’m very, very worried about the double champions,” he added.

After MI’s defeat against PBKS, Rohit Sharma was clear cut in saying that his team aren’t putting enough efforts on the field.

“We are not putting enough effort on the field and when the conditions are tough you need to understand how you need to bat and how you need to bowl,” Rohit said after the game.

MI started the tournament with a two-wicket win against Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, they came back to beat Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad after their bowlers pulled things back following shoddy shows from their batters.

MI is the most successful team in the history of the championship, having won the IPL five times in the last eight seasons. Rohit took over the leadership mantle midway through the 2013 edition after which their fortunes have changed.