“Rohit Sharma’s hands seemed tied for the first time” – Aakash Chopra reviews MI skipper’s leadership in IPL 2022

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra reckons that Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma’s leadership in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 was affected by a lack of resources. He added that the opener’s own poor form only made matters worse.

Mumbai endured their worst-ever IPL season, finishing last in the points table after the league stage. They lost their first eight matches in a row, creating an unwanted record, and ended the season with only four wins from 14 games.

Reviewing Rohit’s captaincy in IPL 2022, Chopra opined that his leadership was affected by multiple factors. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said:

“The captain did not score runs, so that was an issue. Team selection was also questionable. Tim David was dropped after just two games. That was a big mistake. The captain will be held accountable for the decision, even if the management was also involved.”

Chopra added:

“Even Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t utilized well in the first half. Rohit Sharma’s hands seemed tied for the first time. He made some tactical mistakes. Maybe it was just the team composition or lack of confidence because of not scoring runs.”

The 44-year-old further pointed out that the lack of good opening partnerships and a poor bowling unit hurt Mumbai’s cause significantly. He elaborated:

“Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma opened in all 14 games but there were hardly any big stands. Also, they did not find a good death bowler. They tried Jaydev Unadkat, Basil Thampi, Tymal Mills, Daniel Sams, Riley Meredith and Ramandeep Singh as well. But the death bowling was not good. Spinners also did not take too many wickets.”

Bumrah was Mumbai’s leading wicket-taker in IPL 2022, claiming 15 wickets in 14 games. Sams was second on the list with 13 scalps in 11 matches.

“Their pattern of purchasing was questionable” – Aakash Chopra on MI’s auction strategy

Chopra stated that Mumbai got things wrong at the auction table itself. According to him, the franchise’s performance was a reflection of a strategy gone wrong. He explained:

“In hindsight, their pattern of purchasing was quite questionable. Retaining four players for ₹42 crore was fine. But Ishan Kishan (₹15.5 crore), Dewald Brevis (₹3 crore), Jofra Archer (₹8 crore), Sams (₹2.6 crore) and Tim David (₹8.25 crore). – that’s Rs 37.1 crore. Your money is over. How would you build a team after that?”

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Mumbai ended a horrific IPL campaign on a positive note, defeating the Delhi Capitals (DC) by five wickets in their last league clash. DC’s loss in the game knocked them out of the playoff race.