IPL 2021, MI vs RR: MI’s India stars stutter ahead of T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians play a do-or-die match against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday with their India stars barring Jasprit Bumrah under the scanner for a string of poor runs in the UAE. Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya and Rahul Chahar all four have struggled to put up good performances in the IPL 2021 Phase 2. As the deadline of October 10 is looming large on the selectors to submit final WC squad, concerned selectors are keeping a close tab on them. Follow MI vs RR Live Updates on InsideSport.in.
“Yes, it is a bit of a concern but we still have few matches left in IPL to get them back in form. Hopefully, they will. Suryakumar has been amongst runs for India so he is not a big concern at the moment. Ishan Kishan too did well in Sri Lanka. Virat also spoke to him on Sunday and let’s see how it goes,” a BCCI source told InsideSport on Monday.
IPL 2021, MI vs RR: Defending IPL champions Mumbai Indians who are currently 7th on the points table with 10 points from 12 matches with a negative net run rate of -0.453 have had their stars struggle throughout the season and especially in the UAE. As the T20 World Cup is also being played in the UAE, BCCI and selectors have a big headache if they lose or fail to shine again. India begin their World Cup campaign against Pakistan on October 24.
In the UAE, the Mumbai Indians trio of Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Rahul Chahar have endured a poor show. In five innings, Suryakumar Yadav has scored 49 runs including a top-score of 33 against Delhi Capitals in the last match. Ishan Kishan has been dropped after scores of 11, 14 and 9 in UAE. Rahul Chahar was also dropped after wicket-less two matches. As for Hardik Pandya, he has been the real trouble. While he did bat well in one match, his lack of bowling and lack form have worried selectors.
IPL 2021, MI vs RR: Why selectors will keep a close eye on MI vs RR match?
- Selectors can still make changes to India’s T20 World Cup squad by October 10.
- MI will play two matches before that including a do-or-die match against RR on Tuesday.
- The selectors will be closely watching how the players perform under pressure situations.
- Ishan Kishan has already lost his place in Mumbai Indians XI and selectors are closely watching whether he is brought back to the Playing XI once again.
- Suryakumar Yadav top-scored with 33 for MI in the last match after posting four consecutive single-digit scores. He is under the scanner even though he was considered India’s batting mainstay before the IPL 2021 Phase 2.
- Rahul Chahar has also been dropped from the Playing XI and he came in place of Yuzvendra Chahal who has bagged 10 wickets in five matches, putting the selectors under immense pressure.
- Hardik Pandya is the other concern for the selectors. He is going through an off form even though he slammed 30-ball 40 in the last match. He doesn’t bowl and is recovering from an injury. If he doesn’t do well against RR, selectors will come under heavy fire.
IPL 2021, MI vs RR: Selectors and the BCCI had kept Shreyas Iyer on standby along with Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar. Even though the Delhi Capitals batsman began with two 40+ scores, he faded away, not able to build on his starts. On Monday, he had a golden opportunity to impress selectors but he was dismissed for just 2.
“We have Shreyas Iyer as the backup, if there are any concerns, he could be added. But it’s too early to say anything. Ishan Kishan is an important player and so are Suryakumar and others. There is no point speculating,” the BCCI source had told InsideSport earlier.
