Ahead of their Indian Premier League game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians head coach Ricky Ponting yesterday praised the team’s bowling unit for being consistent but wanted the batsmen to step up and perform better in upcoming games.
After getting off to a losing start to their campaign against Rising Pune Supergiants, defending champions Mumbai came back strongly with a thumping win over Kolkata Knight Riders, but suffered two consecutive losses against Gujarat Lions and Sunrisers Hyderabad to have them tottering in the seventh position in the points table with just two points from four games.
“We have been disappointing so far, the team didn’t play the way we wanted and would have liked to. But obviously we had one very good win against Kolkata Knight Riders. But apart from that our batting hasn’t been good enough yet. The guys are aware the way I want them to play and how they should play,” Ponting said. Failure to get their team combination right has resulted in a series of losses for Mumbai. “Our bowling has been pretty good right throughout the tournament. (Tim) Southee and (Mitchell) McClaneghan have been good, outstanding and (Jasprit) Bumrah has also been consistent but we haven’t had enough runs yet. We need to play 40 overs of good cricket but till now e have played only 30 overs, so we need to step up and deliver as a team,” the former Australia skipper said.

RCB’s Gayle leaves IPL for birth of child
Chris Gayle will miss the next two matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore after flying back to the Caribbean to be with his partner for the birth of their first child. While Bangalore team management refused to comment on Gayle’s departure, the big Jamaican posted a picture on his Instagram page stating “I’m on my way Baby”.
The big-hitting left-hander headed to the airport straight after RCB’s match on Sunday in Bangalore while his teammates arrived in Mumbai late on Monday night. While it is unsure when exactly Gayle will rejoin his teammates, it is certain that he will miss the Royal Challengers matches against Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants this week.
Gayle has not had the best start to the IPL, scoring just one and a duck in the first two matches. The 36-year-old will be hoping fatherhood can change his fortunes when he returns sometime next week.
Gayle’s absence could see Shane Watson return to the opening role, while it could also provide an opportunity for South Australia captain Travis Head, who may slot into the middle order alongside superstar batsman AB de Villiers.  Alternatively, Royal Challengers may look to strength their bowling by including Head’s Adelaide Strikers teammate, Kane Richardson.

Injured Aussie Hastings ruled out of IPL
Australian all-rounder John Hastings has been ruled out of the rest of the IPL with an ankle injury, raising concerns about his fitness for the upcoming tour of the West Indies. Hastings played two matches for his IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders before flying back home after picking up the injury during a practice session.
“He bowled through a fair bit of pain during the game (last week against the Mumbai Indians),” Simon Katich, Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach, said.
Fellow Australian Katich said Hastings flew back to Australia after undergoing scans on his ankle. “It’s a shame to see his campaign end prematurely. He had fitted in really well into the group and had performed well in a couple of games.
“Unfortunately he’ll be doing a lot of rehab instead and working towards getting fit for the West Indies tour,” Katich said. Hastings has been named in the Australian one-day squad for the tri-series in West Indies in June. The 30-year-old fast bowler and strong lower-order batsman has played just one Test for Australia, but he has slowly gained a footing in the limited-overs team since making his ODI debut in 2010.
He has played 20 ODIs and was also part of the Australian side in the recent World Twenty20 in India.