"They did not have a good auction" - Mohammad Kaif on where MI went wrong in IPL 2022
Ex-India Mohammad Kaif suggested that Mumbai Indians (MI) failed to assemble a balanced team at the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022) mega auction earlier this year.
He mentioned that this is why they are currently languishing at the bottom of the IPL points table 2022.The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that MI lost half the battle at the auction itself.
He added that the five-time champions would feel much better after having two successive wins under their belt.
Kaif told Sportskeeda:
"MI did not have a very good auction. They could not sign good players at the event and they lost 50% of the match at the auction itself. They have made a good comeback, winning two back-to-back games. They will be relieved."
The 41-year-old stated that the MI think tank should have backed players like Tim David by giving them more matches. He feels that the swashbuckling batter didn't get many opportunities to prove himself and was dropped too soon. The side have tried several players this year but have still struggled, as per Kaif.
He explained:
"Tim David should have played more matches for Mumbai this season. He got only two games early on and didn't get a proper chance to prove himself. MI have struggled in both the batting and bowling departments. They tried a lot of players."
The Mumbai-based side will lock horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 56th match of the season. The contest is set to be played at the DY Patil Stadium on Monday (May 9).
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"Shreyas Iyer and Brendon McCullum aren't on the same page" - Mohammad Kaif ahead of MI vs KKR clash
Speaking about KKR's disappointing season, Kaif pointed out that skipper Shreyas Iyer and head coach Brendon McCullum might not be on the same page. He stated that Iyer looked upset with the coach's decision during the side's game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) earlier in the tournament.
He reckoned that the IPL team environment might not be that great as there could very well be unrest within the KKR camp. Kaif added:
"The atmosphere will be very bad. We all saw that during their game against RR. Shreyas Iyer was visibly frustrated by coach Brendon McCullum's decisions regarding the batting order. That's when they started losing more matches. It shows that the captain and the coach aren't on the same page. Iyer, who is usually very calm, questioned McCullum during the game."
The Kolkata-based side suffered an embarrassing 75-run loss in their previous outing against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). They will be aiming to come up with an improved performance in their forthcoming fixture against MI.
They are currently languishing in the penultimate position in the IPL points table after managing just four wins from eleven matches. The side will finish with 14 points even if they win all of their remaining matches.