Mumbai Indians endured a heartbreaking 103-run loss in a high-scoring Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Chennai Super Kings on Thursday at Wankhede Stadium. Pursuing a target of 208, MI were folded for 104 in 19 overs, with the likes of Quinton de Kock, Hardik Pandya, Sherfane Rutherford and Naman Dhir struggling to rack up runs. The biggest setback for Mumbai has been the absence of veteran star Rohit Sharma, who has been on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury. He has missed three matches at a stretch, making things incredibly horrible for MI. Meanwhile, speaking on MI's loss, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra emphasised that MI are surely missing their experienced opener Rohit Sharma.
"They have certainly missed Rohit Sharma. Without strong starts, chasing totals in the 210-220 range becomes very difficult. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya have not contributed enough so far. While there have been positives like Tilak Varma's hundred, the rest of the batting unit needs to step up. On the bowling side, apart from Jasprit Bumrah, most bowlers have been leaking runs. Ghazanfar has been consistent but needs better support from the rest," he said on JioStar.
For CSK, it was Sanju Samson who stole the show, smashing an unbeaten 101 off 54 balls to launch the side to a monumental total of 207/6 in 20 overs. Chopra lauded Samson's classy century that lifted the side to a sensational win.
“Samson has stepped up in that context, two unbeaten hundreds in just seven matches, and has been instrumental in carrying the team through. It is similar to the role Jos Buttler played during Rajasthan’s run to the final, and you can clearly see that influence in the way Sanju has evolved his game,” he added.