3 reasons why MI lost to CSK in their IPL 2023 match
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) recorded their first win on the road in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), beating the Mumbai Indians (MI) by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, April 8.
Rohit Sharma and Co. managed only 157/8 after being asked to bat first, with Ishan Kishan's 32 being the highest score of the innings. Ajinkya Rahane took the game away from the home side in the chase, notching up a 19-ball fifty that set the tone for the Men in Yellow to cross the finish line with 11 balls to spare.
Here are three reasons why MI lost to CSK in their IPL 2023 clash on Saturday.
#3 MI didn't use their bowling resources very well in Jofra Archer's absence
MI came into their clash against CSK with only one frontline fast bowler in Jason Behrendorff. With Jofra Archer missing as a precautionary measure, the five-time champions had fast-bowling all-rounders Mohammad Arshad Khan and Cameron Green to assist Behrendorff.
However, Rohit and Co. failed to use their resources effectively. Behrendorff bowled two economical overs in the powerplay, even rattling Devon Conway's stumps, but he wasn't given a third. By the time the Aussie left-armer was brought back at the death, the game was already over.
Without Archer, MI needed early breakthroughs, and their best bet was Behrendorff. Although they tried to pull things back with their spinners in the middle overs, the home side's lack of early inroads ended up costing them.
#2 Mumbai's team selection was rather strange
MI had an overseas slot to fill with Archer ruled out. Riley Meredith and Duan Jansen were the options at their disposal to beef up the pace-bowling department, but they instead opted to utilize the place on Tristan Stubbs.
Mumbai already had a power-packed batting lineup and really needed some reinforcement in the pace unit. However, they opted to go in with just Behrendorff, Green and Arshad as their fast bowlers, even bringing in Kumar Kartikeya as the impact player.
Nehal Wadhera, who struck two sixes in an impressive cameo in the previous game, was relegated to the bench to accommodate Stubbs. Moreover, they didn't even give the South African a chance to succeed...
#1 MI's batting order wasn't ideal against CSK
Stubbs batted as low as No. 8 against CSK. He made just five runs at a strike rate of 50, handing Sisanda Magala his maiden IPL wicket. The rest of the batters weren't used in their ideal spots either.
Green fell to spin in the post-powerplay phase, with his pace-hitting prowess not utilized at all. Arshad was promoted to No. 5 in a bid to take on CSK's left-arm spin duo but the move didn't pay off, with the young all-rounder's inexperience coming to the fore.
Tim David, arguably MI's most dangerous batter at home, came in at No. 7. He eventually had too much on his plate, holing out in the 17th over despite threatening to take the game away from the Men in Yellow with a 22-ball 31.
MI need to find a way to maximize the batting resources at their disposal at the earliest.