Mark Boucher and Sachin Tendulkar
The Mumbai Indians team was considered to be a weak bowling team without Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer at the start of the season. As the season progressed, it was the hitters who carried the team’s boat on their shoulders. After this, bowlers like Jason Behrendorff, Piyush Chawla and Akash Madhwal also started to make things easier for the team. This was the reason why the team made it to the playoffs. Mumbai beat Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator and then lost to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2. The team performed brilliantly without Bumrah and Archer. Now, the head coach of Mumbai has given a big statement on the matter.
The head coach gave a big statement
Mumbai head coach Mark Boucher said after the team’s loss in Qualifier 2 that his team will look for replacements if the key bowlers are not fit in time. The five-time champions Mumbai Indians made it to the playoffs despite fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Jofra Archer and Jhye Richardson not playing this season. In this regard, Boucher said that the team’s performance will be reviewed later, since he does not want to generate controversy. There are many things to talk about, but it would be foolish to say anything now. We have to introspect. Some good cricketing decisions have to be made without getting emotional. But when everything calms down, we will know about the future of some players in terms of physical fitness.
We tried well without Bumrah and Archer…
Boucher did not stop there and further said that we did not have two star bowlers. We did our best to make up for it. I hope they get in shape. If not, we will have to look for alternatives. It was very tough for Mumbai without Bumrah and Archer. Bumrah was not available. Not even Jofra and they are both brilliant bowlers. Without such bowlers, the attack was bound to be weak. I’m not blaming anyone. Injuries happen in sports and you have to deal with it.
Talking about the performance of Mumbai Indians this season, the team has won eight out of 14 matches in the league stage and reached the playoffs with 16 points. Then there, the team beat Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator, but in Qualifier 2, the team lost to Gujarat Titans by 62 runs. This season, the team’s hitters, especially Suryakumar Yadav, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David and Cameron Green, have gotten the team out of trouble many times. Following this, Akash Madhwal did bowling wonders in recent matches. Piyush Chawla took the reins on the spin and took 22 wickets. The team lost in the playoffs after 6 years (after 2017). The last time the team lost here was in 2017.