MI Vs SRH : MI Batsmen "Ab Toh Hila do Duniya"

2013 was the year for Mumbai Indians. They won IPL beating every other team in the tournament and to prove their worth they also won the Champions League where teams from other countries compete as well. Sachin Tendulkar last played a T20 match in Champions League for Mumbai Indians. This year he is a mentor of the team. Mumbai not just has him in their think tank but also have the services of Greats like Ricky Ponting and Anil Kumble. But this year their fortunes have changed. Mumbai have not been able to win even a single match this year. Where have they gone wrong is what all their fans are wondering?

WHAT Has Gone Wrong ?
They next face Sunrisers Hyderabad who also haven’t performed up to expectations, winning just one match out of four. Their fast bowlers haven’t fired and their batsmen have looked miserable in the middle. Sunrisers must be eager to win this one against the wounded Tigers. They know Mumbai is under immense pressure but can never be written off. Their batsmen may not be firing but they have the international batsmen who can turn the match anytime. Just look at their line-up. They have Michael Hussey, Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Corey Anderson. All these batsmen can fire any time and win a match for their teams. What they are missing out on is getting partnerships in the middle. They keep losing wickets consistently and have never been able to build upon. They need a good start if not an extravagant start, and then unleash those shots from their repertory that we haven’t seen for a while. Apart from a fifty by their captain Rohit Sharma no one has been able to make runs. Kieron Pollard literally tried throwing his bat around to get runs but could not win them a match.

NEW Strategy : "KISS"
Apart from this, MI have kept changing their batting line-up. They need a solid start and for that they need their best opening batsmen to open to lay the foundation. The message i would give them is KISS : "KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID". I would send in Michael Hussey and Rohit Sharma, a left and right hand combination, which is their best opening pair. And then Rayudu, Anderson and Pollard to follow at No.3, 4 and 5. The idea behind this is that your best batsmen should play the most overs. If they lose early wickets then one of them can hang around till the 15th over and then unleash himself. They also have the services of domestic batsmen like Tare and CM Gautam. A clear cut strategy is what MI have missed on. Although the Sunrisers pace attack would not be so easy to score so easily. But a good score on the board their world class bowlers like Malinga, Zaheer, Harbhajan, Ojha can spoil the party for the Sunrisers.
MI first need to concentrate on winning their first match rather than thinking about the whole tournament. A great think tank would never help until and unless the team faces the pressure on the field and emerges stronger than before. Maybe it`s time for them to execute simple plans i.e to play normal cricket rather than plan more off the field. For Mumbai batsmen "Duniya Hilane ka Waqt aa gaya hai".

—Ddevanshu Wadhawan