Former Indian fast bowler RP Singh believes Mumbai Indians’ campaign for the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League is over and they need to start building their team for the next two to three years.
Mumbai, the five-time champions of the tournament, have managed a solitary win out of the nine matches they have played.
The Rohit Sharma-led have an outside chance of qualifying for the playoff stages if they go on to win their remaining five league stage and they will also need favors from other teams.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians have failed to get going in the ongoing season as they have not come up with a collective effort. It has been surprising to note Mumbai’s below-par performance as they are the most successful franchise in the history of the tournament after having won the crown on five occasions.
RP Singh said on Cricbuzz, “Let’s be honest, MI’s campaign for this season is over. They now need to look forward and start building the team for the next two to three years. The bench they picked at the auction, Mumbai must now test them and find out whether they can be part of the race in the long run. I think Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav will play. We might see some changes in bowling. They can give new players a go and analyze where they are lacking, so they can prepare for the next auction accordingly.”
Singh added he is looking forward to seeing Aryan Juyal in action. Youngsters like Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis, Hritik Shokeen, and Kumar Kartikeya have impressed while playing for MI this season.
“I have personally seen him and he looks quite an exciting talent. He is one who can be tried out.”
On the other hand, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag reckons Mumbai Indians should rest senior players like Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, who hasn’t been at his lethal best as he has taken only five wickets in nine games. Rohit has also failed to deliver with the bat for his team.
“I think this is the right time to rest seniors like Bumrah and Rohit Sharma. They can try out new players and evaluate who can be retained and who can be released. When the big names are not there, a new or unknown name might emerge as a hero. If things go wrong, at the most, they might end up losing another match.”
MI will face Gujarat Titans on Friday.
