MI batters have lost them more matches than their bowlers: Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh came down hard on Mumbai Indians batters after their insipid performance against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, May 3 at the Wankhede Stadium all but ended their hopes of reaching the playoffs.

After Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to field first, Mumbai bowlers had the visitors on the mat at 57/5 inside the seventh over. However, an 83-run sixth-wicket stand between Manish Pandey (42 off 31 balls) and Venkatesh Iyer (70 off 52 balls) helped KKR set a target of 170 for the five-time champions.

Mumbai made a meal of the chaseable target as they were bowled out for 145 in the 19th over, as Mitchell Starc silenced his critics with a match-winning four-for. Suryakumar Yadav was the only batter who showed some fight, as he made 56 off 35 balls before being dismissed by Andre Russell in the 16th over. Tim David tried to take MI to an improbable win but he was dismissed in the 19th over. Shreyas Iyer and Co. became the first KKR side to win at the Wankhede Stadium in 12 years.

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After the disappointing 24-run defeat, legendary off-spinner Harbhajan Singh criticised Mumbai's batting unit, blaming them for letting their team down more than the bowlers in what has been a forgettable Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign for the Mumbai-based franchise.

"You have not done both things right. We were saying that their bowling is weak on paper. However, if we check their records, their batters have lost them more matches, their bowlers haven't lost them as many matches. The toss becomes very crucial here but if we see this entire match, they batted poorly," Harbhajan said on Star Sports while reviewing the game.

Harbhajan reckoned that overconfidence led to the downfall of the MI batters. He added that if Suryakumar hadn't played a gritty knock, the hosts would have suffered a much heavier defeat.

"They were overconfident and probably didn't bat with the sincerity they could have batted with. It's not that this wasn't a chasable score. It could have been chased easily. They lost their first three wickets quickly and then the spinners attacked them. If Suryakumar Yadav had not fought, they would have been left far behind," Harbhajan observed.

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With this win, KKR consolidated their No. 2 position on the points table. They have registered seven wins from 10 matches and have two points less than league-leaders Rajasthan Royals. The Knights face Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday, May 5 and a win would take them to the top of the table. However, Rajasthan will have one game in hand.