Win or perish

Desperate Mumbai Indians might have already made a passionate plea to destiny so that the outcomes are favourable when they step in for their 12th game of the season on MondayEight losses in 11 matches have not only vindicated how Mumbai incurred their own suffering through leadership change but they have also missed the opportunity to make it up with better onfield showingTilak Varmas exploits with the willow notwithstanding MIs campaign hangs precariously on the brink of collapse jeopardising their chances of amassing enough victories to realistically contend for a spot in the IPL playoffsAlso ReadBCCI cheers fans jeerThis is a situation the fivetime winners have brought upon themselves playing some insipid cricket across the first leg of this IPL They had a splendid chance against too many teams to score that valuable six points that would have put them on par with others but a couple of ordinary overs in the powerplay and towards the end have spoiled their ambitionsFor the pride and the reputation because sometimes when you enter on the field you dont think whether you are going to qualify or you are not going to qualify You have to play for your name and thats what we are playing forrdquo legspinner Piyush Chawla was quoted as saying after skipper Pandya once again walked out to loud boos on Friday as they lost to KKR by 24 runsldquoYou must have often heard that T20 is all about momentum and just that we didnt get that momentum going this season and it can happen to any team Its not like its happening to us for the first time or any other team for the second time It can happen to anyone and its just that that momentum was not our wayrdquo he addedTrue that It is only lsquopridersquo that Mumbai are left with to play forAlso ReadTeam Indias forensic analysisThey may have been called a bowling superpower in the recent past but going by their last four matches Mumbai seems to be lacking the variety or strength in their bowling to exploit the chinks in the oppositionrsquos battingRightarm pacer Jasprit Bumrah leads the wickettakers chart this season with 17 wickets but even that is an inflated picture as he hasnt been able to make any real impact on the proceedings Truth be told in MIs case whose bowling has appeared lacklustre from the outset Bumrahrsquos scalps have neither provided any respite nor assurance And there is every reason to blame the team management and Pandya The reluctance to handle the new ball to Bumrah or even play him in the crucial overs has somewhat been perplexing Besides Bumrah the modest form of experienced bowlers has hurt them as Chawla himself has leaked more runs than usual this seasonDespite the slim chances of advancing the focus remains on key players such as Rohit Sharma Suryakumar Yadav and Pandya who are set to be instrumental figures in Indias T20 World Cup campaign While Sharmas aggressive approach has yet to yield significant results Yadav seeks consistency after his recent halfcentury performanceBut Pandya will be subject to scrutiny once moreCome Monday he will be eager to rectify and put an end to the reproval besieging him since the inception of this IPL