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Mumbai Indians
Legendary batsman Brian Lara expressed concerns over Mumbai Indians' performance in the ongoing IPL season. The defending champions are currently placed in the middle of the points table with two victories in their first five games. In their previous encounter, Punjab Kings defeated MI by nine wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. MI has played all their games at the Chepauk, and now they have headed to New Delhi, where they are set to face Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals on Thursday.
After winning the toss and electing to field first, Punjab Kings did nothing wrong in the game as MI lost their second straight match on the trot. Rohit Sharma and Co. have now lost 3 of their 5 games so far in the ongoing 14th IPL season.
We are not putting enough effort on the field: Rohit Sharma
Asked to bat first against the Punjab Kings, the Mumbai Indians team fell short in every department of the game. Rohit Sharma & Co. could only put up a total of 131/6 on the board. In response, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated the Rohit Sharma-led franchise with 9 wickets to spare. KL Rahul and Chris Gayle were the architects of Punjab's win. KL Rahul scored 60* whereas Gayle scored 43*.
MI skipper Rohit Sharma has performed well in the ongoing IPL season. He has scored 201 runs at an average of 40.2 while striking at over 130 this season. However, the MI batting line-up has struggled on the Chennai pitch in all five matches. The team could barely surpass the 150-run mark in their first three games. Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya have not been able to form with the bat so far. Thus, the side would be looking to get the most of the experienced duo in the remaining games of the season.
MI started the campaign with a defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, the team bounced back to beat Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. MI's bowling unit looks in great touch as their bowlers pulled things in both the games they won. Mumbai Indians is the most successful franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League. The side has won the IPL five times in the last eight seasons. Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy reins midway through the 2013 edition, after which their fortunes have changed.