IPL 2022 | MI vs SRH | The captain who sunk the ship

In the 65th match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Mumbai Indians (MI) will be taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Wankhede Stadium. This match will be important for Kane Williamson's army as far as their chances of making it to the playoffs are concerned. Mumbai has already been eliminated from the tournament. But for the five-time champions, it will be their pride at stake.  

MI has lost 9 of their 12 matches in the tournament so far and is languishing at the bottom. They've lost eight consecutive games to start their campaign and became the first team to be eliminated from the race for playoffs. While there have been many concerns in the Mumbai camp that need to be addressed before IPL 2023, one of the biggest problems is the lack of form of their skipper Rohit Sharma.

One of the most prolific run-scorers in modern times and arguably the most dangerous opener in the limited-overs presently has not found his mojo in the ongoing season of the IPL. However, watching him bat this season, it has looked like he is not entirely out of touch but is finding ways to get dismissed.

Let us look at how he has fared in IPL 2022 so far.

Hitman in IPL 2022: Rohit Sharma has played 12 innings in the tournament. In these 12 innings, he has scored 218 runs. His RPI (Runs Per Innings) for the game is 18.16, and his strike rate is just 125.29. His form has made it difficult for MI to get off to a decent start, and as a result, the middle-order has come under undue pressure, under which they have crumbled in most of the games.  

Rohit Sharma in IPL 2022:

Balls Per Boundary: 4.97

Balls Per Dismissals: 14.5

Matches Per Fifty: 0

Let us compare where this season stands in comparison to Rohit's overall statistics.

Rohit Sharma in IPL: Rohit has batted in 220 IPL innings over the years. He has scored 5829 runs in them at an RPI of 26.49. His strike rate in IPL has been 139.55, and he also has 40 half-centuries and one century to his name.

Rohit in overall IPL:

Balls Per Boundary: 5.94

Balls Per Dismissal: 23.31

Matches per fifty: 5.36

Comparison: So, if we compare the two records, we see that Rohit has put less value on his wicket this season than in general. He has more boundaries this time around than in general, but he has also played lesser balls per innings.

Observation: Throughout the IPL, Rohit Sharma has given MI the solidity at the top order on which the lower order batters like Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya have capitalized, registering memorable wins for the team. This year, MI has missed at the start of the innings. With Rohit failing to give them the formidable starts, the middle order has come under fire too soon for their liking.

Besides, Sharma generally thrives as a captain from the confidence he derives from his batting. However, as his bat has not done the talking in the season, the five-time champion captain has looked off-complexion. He is far away from his original self, where he used to be proactive and did not shy away from taking risks. The failure in batting has taken away the offensive mentality of captain Rohit Sharma. Instead of thinking ahead of the game, he is playing catch-up, and as a result, Mumbai is at the bottom of the table for the season.

Concern: The concern with Rohit's lean patch is for the Indian national team. He will be leading the Indian team in the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place later this year in Australia. If he does not get his mojo back soon, India will suffer from losing a destructive opener and a proactive captain. Indian fans and selectors will hope that Rohit soon gets back to his old self, as the Men in Blue will look to redeem themselves after a terrible campaign in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

But all said and done, and even after looking at the depressing numbers, one should keep in mind that 'Form is temporary and Class is permanent.' It holds true for the 'Hitman'. No one can question the ability of a player who has scored three double hundreds in the 50-overs format of the game. So, all the fans need to support Rohit and believe in him. A batter with his level of class and talent will not be going through the lean phase for long. He is just a few deliveries or one innings where he spends time in the crease away from getting his old self back.