With six losses in as many matches, the beginning of IPL 2022 has turned out to be nightmarish for five-time winners Mumbai Indians with the 18-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants at Brabourne Stadium.
While admitting that they were not good enough and "the table is not lying", pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is still trying to be positive about his side's future in the tournament.
"Life has not ended, sun is going to rise again tomorrow. This is the game of cricket, right? Somebody has to win or lose. We haven't lost everything in life right? We just lost a cricket game. That's the spirit which is there in our team. Nobody is as disappointed as we are. Nobody from the outside can see the hard work we have put in," said Bumrah in the post-match virtual press conference.
"We have been in a fight. A lot of games will little luck here or there. But it is the way it is. We are not shying away that we were not good enough and the table is not lying. In the rest of our games, we will try to give our best shot and come out on the better side," added Bumrah.
In Mumbai's match against Lucknow, nothing went right for them after winning the toss and electing to bowl first. Captain Rohit Sharma used six bowlers in power-play, but apart from taking Quinton de Kock's wicket, none looked threatening to scalp more wickets. Their fielding wasn't up to the mark, with many misfields on the field. With the bat, no one could produce a big match-winning knock, which Lucknow got in K.L Rahul's unbeaten 103.
"Obviously it's disappointing. Nobody wants to lose and we are no different. But it is the way it is. We are accepting it and taking it on the chin that 'okay, we have not been good enough and fallen short on the trot.' We are not looking at okay, we are now going on a crazy run. We are looking at what we can control. We have been in a fight and made a game out of previous games."
"It's just that we have fallen short whenever there has been pressure as soon as people start to throw punches at you. We accept that and go back to the drawing board to keep working hard and come back with same intensity. We will try to do that and whenever next game comes up, that's how we will look forward to the season," said Bumrah.
As has been the case with other teams, Mumbai are in midst of finding their groove following the IPL 2022 mega auction in February, where plenty of new names came in while the older, trusted personnel went to different franchises. Bumrah acknowledged that Mumbai's new players are still trying to find their feet in the team with an eye to move forward in the campaign.
"A lot of our players have gone and the new ones who have come in are trying to find their game. We understand that and try to give confidence from the positive aspects of the game. As the senior group, we try to keep the atmosphere of the team well and try to find ways to maintain it. We are the most disappointed but the most important thing in cricket is to move forward. This game is over now and can't do anything about what happened in the past. We are now trying to think forward and try to reflect on mistakes to improve upon them," he added.
In four out of six matches in IPL 2022, Bumrah has gone wicketless, including in Saturday's match against Lucknow. In this season, Bumrah has been mostly as first change for keeping back two of his overs in the final five-over phase. He insisted that he is fine with taking any role Mumbai offers him with the ball as per the demand of the situation.
"I am ready to bowl in every situation. As per the balance and composition of the team, I am ready to take any role which is sought from me. We will go back and see if I bowl with the new ball or how we can utilise it better. If you ask me personally, I am ready to do any role. I am very happy with my rhythm, feel well and be able to bowl any ball which I want to. But I am ready for any role as per the requirements of the team whenever the opportunity comes," he said.
