IPL 2021: 3 batsmen who always struggled against Mumbai Indians
Five-time IPL winners Mumbai Indians (MI) are at the top of the list of teams with the highest number of championship wins in the league. The importance of the bowling attack increases if a team wants to achieve success in the T20 format, especially in a tournament like the IPL.
However, bowling for the Mumbai Indians is a tough job because the franchise plays its home matches at Wankhede Stadium, an IPL venue famous for high-scoring encounters.
Mumbai Indians bowlers have managed to keep the bats of some big names silent
While the likes of Jos Buttler, Kevin Pietersen and Virender Sehwag have great numbers against the Mumbai Indians, there have been some well-known batsmen who have struggled to score big against the Mumbai-based franchise.
In this listicle today, we will take a look at the three popular batsmen who had a tough time dealing with the MI bowlers in the IPL.
#1 TM Dilshan
Sri Lankan batsman TM Dilshan, who played for Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, was one of the best openers of his time. He played a total of 52 IPL games, scoring 1,153 runs that included nine IPL fifties.
However, he was not at his best while playing against Mumbai Indians. In total, Dilshan played nine innings against MI, aggregating 196 runs. A player known for his aggressive batting, Dilshan had a strike rate of just 98.13 versus Mumbai. He got out for a golden duck in his first match against MI and later recorded an eight-ball duck against the same opponents in 2013.
Dilshan played most of the games against MI at M. Chinnswamy Stadium or Wankhede Stadium, two of the best venues for batsmen. Still, for some reason, he failed to fire.
#2 Naman Ojha
Former Indian wicket-keeper batsman Naman Ojha came into the limelight after he aggregated 377 runs for the Rajasthan Royals in the 2010 edition of the IPL. Six years later, Ojha won the IPL championship with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The right-handed batsman has now retired from the IPL. While he achieved success in the league, he could not play well against the Mumbai Indians. In 15 games against the Mumbai-based franchise, he scored only 96 runs at a strike rate of 93.20.
Ojha's highest score against Mumbai was 29, while his batting average in those 15 matches was close to 10.
Check out the IPL 2021 stats here.
#3 Corey Anderson
Former New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson made a name for himself with his unbelievable knock of 95 runs for the Mumbai Indians in an IPL 2014 league match against the Rajasthan Royals. His splendid innings helped MI chase 190 runs in just 14.4 overs.
However, MI released Anderson after the 2016 season. The all-rounder then represented the Delhi Capitals and the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He played three innings against the Mumbai Indians, scoring only 10 runs. In two of the three innings, he failed to open his account. Interestingly, both ducks came at Wankhede Stadium.
Anderson has been away from the IPL since 2018. He recently retired from New Zealand Cricket to join the USA.