"This is a really weak MI bowling attack in spite of Bumrah" - Wasim Jaffer

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer reckons that the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) bowling attack for IPL 2022 is very weak despite the presence of Jasprit Bumrah. According to Jaffer, the worrying aspect is that there is no quality on the bench as well.

Five-time IPL champions Mumbai suffered their third defeat in a row, going down to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by five wickets in Pune on Wednesday. Mumbai were in with faint hopes of a win, having reduced to KKR to 83 for 4 while defending a total of 161. However, Pat Cummins blasted an unbeaten 56 off 15, exposing Mumbai’s bowling attack.

Speaking after Mumbai's defeat to Kolkata, Jaffer admitted that things are looking very gloomy for the franchise in the bowling department. Sharing his views during a discussion on ESPNCricinfo, he said:

“This is a really weak MI bowling attack in spite of Bumrah. There’s only Jaydev Unadkat to come in. Even on the bench, they don't have any quality, be it the pace department or the spin bowlers.”

Chipping in with his views, Australian batter Chris Lynn opined that Mumbai might be ruing the decision to pick Jofra Archer at the auction despite the knowledge that he wouldn’t be available this season. He stated:

“Very interesting that you are paying for a guy that isn’t there. You’ve got to be in the moment right now, not look at what the team needs in 12 months’ time. You cannot control what happens. Archer could be injured again next year.”

Mumbai’s bowlers suffered at the hands of Cummins. Sams ended with figures of 1 for 50 from three overs, while Tymal Mills went for 38 in his three even though he managed a couple of wickets.

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“Rohit is not looking in best of form” - Wasim Jaffer on MI skipper

Apart from their bowling, Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma’s batting form is also a cause for concern. Against KKR, he took 12 balls to score three and eventually top-edged an attempted pull off Umesh Yadav.

Jaffer admitted that Rohit’s form will definitely worry the Mumbai management as well as the Indian selectors. He elaborated:

“Rohit is not looking in best of form. The rhythm is missing. Not just Mumbai, the Indian selectors would be worried that they are not seeing the best of Rohit.”

Suggesting a change in the batting order for the Mumbai skipper, the former cricketer concluded:

“Probably Rohit can bat at 3, (Dewald) Brevis can open. They just need that start. With a weak bowling, they need 20 runs extra.”

Before his cheap dismissal on Wednesday in Pune, Rohit scored 41 against the Delhi Capitals (DC) and 10 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).