IPL 2023: We say this team’s bowling is their weakness but the batting has actually disappointed – Harbhajan Singh on Mumbai Indians’ loss to CSK

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh feels Mumbai Indians’ batting unit has let the team down after their seven-wicket loss against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday. In fact, it has been thought that Mumbai Indians don’t have a potent bowling line-up in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah but the batters have failed to deliver.

MI could only manage 157 runs on the board after CSK opted to bowl first. The batters could not get going on a good pitch as they lost wickets at regular intervals.

In fact, none of the batters could go past the 35-run mark while batting first. Furthermore, Mumbai Indians could only manage 171 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their opening clash on a batting paradise at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, MI didn’t play Jofra Archer in the clash against CSK as a precautionary measure.

Speaking to Star Sports, Harbhajan Singh said, “We say this team’s bowling is their weakness but the batting has actually disappointed if we analyze it properly. The batters will have to score runs, then only your bowlers will come into the game.”

“They are not playing freely. A big team is one which plays freely. It didn’t seem that a five-time champion team would play this sort of cricket. They have big names in batting but they have disappointed in both the matches.”

MI failed to get going against the CSK spinners, as the duo of Mitchell Santner and Ravindra Jadeja collectively took five wickets and conceded only 48 runs in the eight overs they bowled.

On the other hand, Tim David added the finishing touches for MI as he scored 31 runs from 22 balls. However, the Turbanator added that the Australian knows only one way to play and he could not take the game forward.

“Tilak Varma was definitely the hero in the first match but once Tilak Varma got out today, it seemed no one had the awareness. Tim David was there but he only knows how to play big shots, he doesn’t know how to take the game forward. The singles and doubles that Tilak took were good.”

“There are players like Cameron Green who played one or two innings when he came here last year and based on that he was picked. He will have to perform like that. Rohit Sharma will not score runs in every match. So the youngsters like Cameron Green and Ishan Kishan will have to score 70-90 runs and even a century if possible.”

MI will next face Delhi Capitals on Tuesday in an away fixture.