IPL 2021: "How can you win if your No. 3 to No. 6 are not batting well?" - Aakash Chopra on the Mumbai Indians' loss to RCB

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that the Mumbai Indians (MI) are unlikely to return to winning ways unless their middle-order batsmen start contributing.

The middle order has been a big letdown for the two-time IPL defending champions in the current edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Their dismal performance in Sunday night's IPL 2021 encounter against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) added to the Rohit Sharma-led side's woes.

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While reflecting on the Mumbai Indians' defeat against RCB in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that the lack of runs from their middle order led to their downfall. He said:

"Mumbai opted to bowl first after winning the toss. Not a bad idea, you can chase, you have such good batting down the order on paper but currently, it is not happening. How can you win if your No. 3 to No. 6 are not batting well?"

The former India cricketer added that the likes of Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard have not covered themselves in glory with their performances for the Mumbai Indians. Chopra elaborated:

"When you start, you do not lose a single wicket in the powerplay. Everything is alright until Quinton De Kock and Rohit Sharma are there but the batting after that, this is disappointing. Hardik Pandya is playing but has not batted well the entire season, the same is the case with Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav, and you will say that even Kieron Pollard has not batted well barring one or two innings."

The Mumbai Indians were bowled out for 111 runs after being in a decent position, having reached 79/1 in pursuit of a 166-run target.

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"When did you last see the Mumbai Indians at No. 7?" - Aakash Chopra

The Mumbai Indians have lost all three of their matches in the UAE leg of IPL 2021 [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra highlighted that the Mumbai Indians, who are in pursuit of a hat-trick of IPL titles, are in deep trouble at the moment. He observed:

"When did you last see Mumbai at No. 7, almost the bottom of the table. They are two-time defending champions, they are in search of a hat-trick, they have won the trophy five times but their situation is very bad. They have lost three consecutive matches and their heart is in their throat."

The former KKR player signed off by painting a gloomy picture of the Mumbai Indians' chances of making the IPL playoffs. Chopra explained:

"They can still qualify but it is getting more and more difficult. Their chances are better than Hyderabad. You will qualify if you win all four of your remaining matches, but winning all four after losing the three games the way you have, with the lack of form, it is not happening."

The Mumbai Indians seem to be a pale shadow of the all-conquering outfit of IPL 2020. They will have to raise their game by several notches if they want to qualify for the knockout stages.