"This team cannot win if Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan don't score runs" - Aakash Chopra on the Mumbai Indians' dismal run in IPL 2022

Aakash Chopra believes the Mumbai Indians (MI) cannot return to winning ways unless their big guns like Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan fire with the bat.

Sharma and Kishan were both dismissed for a duck in the very first over of MI's innings in last night's IPL 2022 encounter against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Although the five-time champions recovered to set a 156-run target, MS Dhoni's final-over exploits handed MI their seventh consecutive defeat at the start of the tournament.

While reflecting on the Mumbai Indians' loss in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted the unwanted record the most successful team in the IPL created. He elaborated:

"Mumbai made a record no team has ever made in IPL history. No team had lost seven consecutive matches to date, Mumbai Indians have done that now. Whatever they try to do, this team cannot win if Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan don't score runs."

While pointing out the franchise's issues, the former India cricketer added that apart from Sharma and Kishan's travails with the bat, the ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah has also been found slightly wanting in the bowling department. Chopra explained:

"This team lacks balance and form and at this moment, the lack of confidence is seen. It is as good as over, which is a sad thing because it is a good team but it is not playing well. If match-winners don't do well, there was not even one wicket in Bumrah's account, and this has not happened once, this has happened at least four times in this season."

Bumrah has picked up just four wickets in IPL 2022 thus far. He has gone wicketless in five of the seven matches the Mumbai Indians have played to date.

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"Two wickets in the first over itself" - Aakash Chopra on the Mumbai Indians' batting effort

Ishan Kishan was left on all fours by Mukesh Choudhary [P/C: iplt20.com]

Speaking about the Mumbai Indians' batting performance, Aakash Chopra highlighted that they got off to the worst possible start. He observed:

"They lost wickets right at the start. Two wickets in the first over itself, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan out - Mukesh Choudhary and Dewald Brevis out in his next over. It seemed all over but that didn't happen, that's the game of cricket."

However, the reputed commentator was appreciative of the fighting knocks played by Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma that took the Mumbai Indians to a competitive score. Chopra said:

"Suryakumar Yadav was batting beautifully. As many as four chances were grassed, it would have been four wickets in three overs from Mukesh Choudhary if Dwayne Bravo had held onto Tilak Varma's catch. Tilak Varma scored a fifty, stayed till the end and kept on fighting. Overall, you scored 155 runs."

Varma top-scored for the Mumbai Indians with an unbeaten 51 off 43 balls. While Yadav (32) and Hrithik Shokeen (25) played useful knocks, Jaydev Unadkat smoked 14 runs off the last five deliveries but ended up conceding 16 runs off the last four balls of CSK's innings at the hands of Dhoni.