With six losses in as many matches, the start of IPL 2022 has turned into a nightmare for five-time winners Mumbai Indians, who suffered an 18-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants at the Brabourne Stadium. Admitting that they were not good enough and “the tables are not lying”, pacer Jasprit Bumrah is still trying to be positive about his side’s future in the tournament.
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“Life is not over, the sun is about to rise again tomorrow. It’s a game of cricket isn’t it? One has to win or lose. We haven’t lost everything in life right? We just lost a cricket match. That’s the spirit that we have in our team. No one is as disappointed as we are. “No one can see the hard work we put in,” Bumrah said in a post-match virtual press conference.
“We’ve been in a fight. Too many games here or there with little luck. But it’s as it is. We don’t shy away from the fact that we weren’t good enough and the tables ain’t lying. Our In the rest of the game, we will try to give our best shot and get on the better side,” Bumrah said.
Nothing went right for him after winning the toss and electing to bowl in Mumbai’s match against Lucknow. Captain Rohit Sharma used six bowlers in the power-play, but apart from taking the wicket of Quinton de Kock, no one was threatening to take more wickets. His fielding was not up to the mark with several misfields on the field. No one could produce a major match-winning knock with the bat, which Lucknow got in KL Rahul’s unbeaten 103.
“Obviously it’s depressing. Nobody wants to lose and we’re no different. But it’s just as it is. We’re just accepting it and taking it to the chin that ‘Okay, we weren’t good enough’ and are continuously lagging behind. We’re not looking well, we’re going in a crazy race now. We’re going to see what we can control. We’ve been in a fight and made a game from past games.”
“It’s just that whenever people start punching you we fall short when the pressure is on. We accept that and go back to the drawing board to work harder and come back with the same intensity. Bumrah said, we will try to do that and whenever the next match happens, we will wait for this season.
As has been the case with other teams, Mumbai is in the midst of finding its groove after the IPL 2022 mega auction in February, where a lot of new names came in while old, trusted staff moved to different franchises. Bumrah admitted that Mumbai’s freshmen are still trying to find a foothold in the team to move ahead in the campaign.
“A lot of our players have left and the new ones are trying to find their game. We understand this and try to give confidence from the positive aspects of the game. As a senior group, we try to keep the team environment good and try to find ways to maintain it. We are most disappointed but the most important thing in cricket is to move on. This game is over now and can’t do anything about what happened in the past. Now we are trying to look ahead and try to rectify the mistakes.”
In four out of six matches in IPL 2022, Bumrah has been wicket-keeping, including Saturday’s match against Lucknow. This season, Bumrah has mostly been changed first to hold back his two overs in the last five leg. He insisted that he was fine to take on any role, with Mumbai offering him the ball as the situation demanded.
“I am ready to bowl in any situation. I am ready to play any role that is asked of me as per the balance and structure of the team. We will go back and see if I bowl with the new ball or how we can make better use of it. If you ask me personally, I am ready to do any role. I am very happy with my rhythm, feel good and am able to throw any ball I want. But whenever the opportunity comes, I am ready for any role as per the requirement of the team.”
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