‘HAD THE BELIEF THAT HE WILL…’ – KIERON POLLARD BACKS ROHIT SHARMA TO CONTINUE SIZZLING FORM WITH THE BAT AGAINST LSG

Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in an important clash on Sunday. The five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions have just won once in the seven games they have played against LSG. In the last meeting, Lucknow beat MI by 12 runs to extend their winning run. All eyes will be on Rohit Sharma as the former MI skipper takes to the field at Wankhede Stadium. 

After a poor start to the season, Rohit seems to have finally found form with the bat. Rohit began the season with 82 runs from his first six games, with a best of 26 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. This was followed by an unbeaten 76 against Chennai Super Kings and 70 against SRH in the return encounter. Incidentally, the only game Rohit missed this season was against LSG when he was hit on his knee during a practice session. 

MI’s batting coach Kieron Pollard has backed his former skipper to continue his good form with the bat as the IPL enters its business end of the season. Pollard was quoted by ESPN Cricinfo as saying, “If my memory serves me right, at the start of this competition, that question was different. I said sitting right here, we are also going to be singing his praises as an individual. For us, we always had that belief that he is going to come good.”

Massive playoff spots up for grabs on Sunday

Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya will be heading into the game on Sunday afternoon knowing what’s at stake. Both sides need at least three wins to have any hopes of making it to the playoffs. Lucknow beat MI easily in their last visit to the Wankhede Stadium at the end of last season. 

Lucknow are coming into the game on the back of their eight-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals at home. Rishabh Pant will be under pressure to perform after he has been widely called out for his below-par batting this season. After their game against MI on Sunday afternoon, Lucknow are set for three massive games against fellow playoff hopefuls. 

LSG will travel to Dharamshala to take on Punjab Kings, then host Royal Challengers Bengaluru. This will be followed by an away game against Gujarat Titans and then their final game of the season will be at home against SRH. Mumbai, on the other hand, will want to keep winning and avoid any further slip-ups, considering their tough run of games will witness them play Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, and Delhi next. 

2025-04-26T17:46:53Z