"Rohit Sharma scored runs and Naman Dhir hit in the end but there was nothing in between" - Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians' IPL 2024 loss to LSG

Aakash Chopra has noted that the Mumbai Indians' (MI) batters, barring Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir, let their team down in their IPL 2024 loss to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The five-time champions suffered an 18-run defeat to finish last in the league.

LSG set MI a 215-run target after being asked to bat first in Mumbai on Friday, May 17. The visitors then restricted Hardik Pandya and Co. to 196/6 to register their seventh win of the season.

Reflecting on the Mumbai Indians' batting in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that Rohit and Naman were the only two players to provide any resistance.

"They did something new in opening this time. Dewald Brevis came to open with Rohit Sharma, who played as an impact player. Rohit Sharma scored runs and Naman Dhir hit in the end but there was nothing in between," he said (12:15).

The former India opener added that Dewald Brevis, Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan's slow knocks put MI behind the eight ball.

"Dewald Brevis scored 23 runs off 20 balls. Hardik Pandya scored 15 or 16 runs off 13 balls and Ishan Kishan was going at a run-a-ball. So if you see their three innings, you feel that if you are chasing a 200-plus target, you cannot win the match with a strike rate of 100-120," Chopra observed.

While praising Naman for playing a fighting knock, Chopra noted that he lacked support.

"Naman Dhir did fight till the end for sure but it was never going to be enough because the target couldn't have been chased down. You needed to score a few more runs. They fell short once again. Yes, Tilak Varma wasn't playing but whoever played, didn't play that well and this has been the story," he stated.

Apart from Rohit's 38-ball 68, Naman (62 off 28) was the only other Mumbai Indians player to score 25-plus runs or to have a strike rate of more than 125. While Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for a duck, Brevis (23 off 20), Hardik (16 off 13) and Kishan (14 off 15) failed to provide the required impetus to the MI innings.

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"This has been Mumbai's problem" - Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians' bowling

Hardik Pandya went wicketless and conceded 27 runs in his two overs. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Reflecting on the Mumbai Indians' bowling, Aakash Chopra noted that Nuwan Thushara (3/28) and Piyush Chawla (3/29) were the only two bowlers to hold their own.

"Nuwan Thushara and Piyush Chawla - both of them bowled well and picked up three wickets apiece. The rest of the bowlers got hit a lot. This has been Mumbai's problem," he said (12:00).

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Mumbai Indians concede mammoth totals irrespective of Jasprit Bumrah's presence in the XI and the runs the opposition scores in the first half of their innings.

"Bumrah wasn't playing, but Bumrah or no Bumrah, whether runs are scored or not in the first 10 overs, the fact is that you are allowing the opposing team to score close to 215. It means your bowling has been bad throughout the year," Chopra observed.

MI restricted LSG to 69/3 after 10 overs. However, they allowed KL Rahul and company to score 145 runs in the second half of their innings, which proved costly in the end.