IPL 2022: Pathan rues lack of support for Bumrah

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Bengaluru, April 9: Though five-time champions Mumbai Indians are yet to open their account in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes it is just a matter of time before the Rohit Sharma-led franchise turns thing around.

Pathan also rued that the absence of a quality seamer other than Jasprit Bumrah is hurting the Mumbai-based franchise badly badly.

"Mumbai Indians know how to make a comeback from situations like these. They've done it in the past, back in 2014 and 2015. In IPL 2015, they were in a similar situation and came from behind to lift the title, but that team was a little different. This year, MI doesn't have a bowler who can support (Jasprit) Bumrah well. This is a major headache for the captain," Pathan said on Cricket Live show on Star Sports, the official broadcaster of IPL 2022.

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MI take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Match 18 of IPL 2022 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune on Saturday in the second double-header of the day.

They will be hoping to get their campaign back on track at the MCA pitch with a win under their belt.

Pathan thinks MI have enough batting power to take things forward in IPL 2022.

"MI's batting still looks good as they have young Tilak Varma doing well, Suryakumar Yadav starred in his comeback game, and Ishan Kishan has been firing at the top. You hope Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard will also score runs as the tournament progresses but their bowling department looks weak, especially the pace attack.

"Traditionally, the pitches in Maharashtra have suited fast bowlers and if the seamers do their job well, then Murugan Ashwin will also return with better figures," Pathan added.

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh lauded Mumbai Indians' top-order batter Yadav, for his half-century in his comeback match in IPL 2022 and termed the right-handed batsman as pure gold.

"He's an amazing batsman. He's made an immediate impact in the very first game and it never felt like he was playing after such a long time. Some of the shots he played against Kolkata Knight Riders were just outrageous," Harbhajan said on the same Cricket Live show in Star Sports.

"You generally see batters play a sweep shot against spinners but he played it to perfection against pace which is never an easy shot to attempt. He's a complete 360-degree player. People talk about AB de Villiers, but for me, he's pure gold," the ex-Indian off-spinner added.

Mumbai Indians are enduring a poor beginning to the season as they have lost their first three games to remain pointless in the tournament so far.

They lost by four wickets to Delhi Capitals before suffering a 23-run and five-wicket defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively.

The Mumbai Indians vs RCB match, the second of the weekend double-header will start at 7.30pm IST on Saturday and will be shown live on on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar.