IPL 2021: "We are probably operating at about 80 percent" - MI bowling coach Shane Bond

Mumbai Indians (MI) bowling coach Shane Bond has opined that his side has been operating at only 80 percent of its actual capacity in the second half of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL).

On Thursday, MI succumbed to a seven-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Abu Dhabi, after posting a below par 155 for 6 batting first. Earlier, they began the second half of IPL 2021 by going down to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 20 runs.

One of the big disappointments for MI in IPL 2021 has been the failure of the middle order. Both Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have been unable to replicate their success from last season. Even Hardik Pandya, who has not featured in the UAE half so far, struggled during the India leg of the edition.

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Admitting that the middle order hasn’t delivered to expectations, Bond added that MI haven’t come up with their best effort as a team as well.

“Yeah it’s a fair comment (on MI’s middle order not performing). I think if we look at our team in the general sense, we are probably operating at about 80 percent. In the last game we played, in the first six overs we put ourselves in a position to control the game. But that middle-order hasn’t really kicked in and got going. We talk a lot about someone kicking through the backend of the innings so that the batting order can play around them. We just haven’t been able to do that and so, once again, we found ourselves with a score that was sub-par,” Bond conceded at a post-match conference.

However, he backed the “quality” MI batting lineup to lift itself in the upcoming matches, particularly with a place in the playoffs at stake.

“The one thing we do know is that we have got a quality batting line-up. We have good surfaces out here throughout the tournament. So I am hoping the tide can turn. We need to because it has got to that stage where we need to start winning some games,” Bond added.

While Yadav has scored 3 and 5 in the two matches in the UAE so far, Kishan has contributed 11 and 14.

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“It was a 175-180 wicket” - MI bowling coach

Having lost the toss, MI got off to a brilliant start with the bat as the openers added 78 for the opening wicket inside 10 overs. However, the dismissal of skipper Rohit Sharma for 33 halted the team’s momentum. Despite Quinton de Kock’s 55, they only managed to post 155 for 6 on the board.

Asked if the MI captain’s dismissal was the turning point in the game, Bond replied in the negative. According to him, the couple of overs following Rohit’s dismissal, in which MI couldn’t score many, cost the franchise some key runs.

“I don’t think so (Rohit’s wicket was the turning point). We were in a position where we were ready to accelerate. I think Ro (Rohit Sharma) made the right decision. The first six overs were exceptional for us - 56 for 0. Probably the next two overs cost us a little. There were around seven runs in two overs, which sucked the momentum out from our innings,” Bond said.

Defending Rohit’s shot, the MI bowling coach pointed out that the batters to follow could not keep up the pace of the innings.

“With 10 wickets in hand, you expect to skip it up a little, which is what Rohit did, but unfortunately he got out. Then you are relying on someone else coming in and picking up that momentum. What we haven’t been able to do in the two games is someone coming in, getting a start and then kicking on. That was the case again today. It was a 175-180 wicket. We were well short of it,” Bond concluded.

Following Thursday’s loss, MI have slipped to sixth in the points table. KKR, in contrast, entered the top four after winning their second game in a row.