Rohit Sharma missed the first game against Chennai Super Kings due to a niggle on his knee while Hardik Pandya was also rested as a precautionary measure.
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IPL 2021 resumed in grand style in front of restricted crowds at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Mumbai Indians, the five-time champions, were taking on Chennai Super Kings in a blockbuster opening match after the resumption. There was some surprise when Kieron Pollard came out to captain the Mumbai Indians team. Rohit Sharma was missing while there were no signs of Hardik Pandya as well. In place of Hardik, Anmolpreet Singh came into the team.
However, it was not a good outing for the Mumbai Indians. They let the initiative slip after they had reduced Chennai Super Kings to 24/4. Ruturaj Gaikwad hit 88 and shared an 81-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja as Chennai Super Kings recovered. In response, Mumbai Indians failed to stitch partnerships and they lost the match by 20 runs. The absence of Rohit the batsman and captain probably hurt the Mumbai Indians a lot more.
During the toss, skipper Kieron Pollard stated that Rohit would be fit sooner rather than later. In the post-match press conference, Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene stated that Rohit would be fit for the next game against Kolkata Knight Riders.
“Rohit was doing his batting, running well, and going about his fitness drills well. But, after coming back from England, we felt he needed a couple of days. He will be fit for the next game. Hardik also rested as a precautionary measure. It is nothing serious,” Mahela Jayawardene said.
The former Sri Lanka skipper also stated that Mumbai Indians made some basic mistakes against Chennai Super Kings. “We competed in the first 10 overs and also for a middle period of five overs. But, against an experienced Chennai Super Kings, if you cannot maintain your consistency, it will hurt you. We were not good enough on the day and we made some mistakes,” Jayawardene said.
Despite the loss against Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians are still in the fourth spot in the points table. They had won the earlier encounter in Delhi thanks to a magnificent performance from Kieron Pollard. However, they will now face Kolkata Knight Riders, against whom they have a fabulous record. Mumbai Indians have won the 2019 and 2020 IPL tournaments and they are the first team to win five titles.
Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, will face Royal Challengers Bangalore in their next encounter. In the previous encounter, Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round exploits saw Chennai Super Kings win the match. That match saw 37 runs being scored in one over by Jadeja off Harshal Patel. Mumbai Indians, though, won their previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders by 10 runs as they suffered a spectacular collapse.
Chennai Super Kings are on top of the table tied on points with Delhi Capitals. They have a better net run rate and they will be aiming to win the next three games to ensure they seal the top-two spot in the points table.
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