Mumbai Indians succumbed to a seven-wicket defeat against Chennai Super Kings.
Invited to bat first, MI posted 157/7 on the board with notable contributions from Ishan Kishan (32), Tim David (31), and Tilak Varma (22).
In reply, CSK rode on Ajinkya Rahane’s 27-ball 61 and Ruturaj Gaikwad’s unbeaten 40 off 36 balls to overhaul the target with 11 deliveries to spare.
It was MI’s second successive loss, and skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that the seniors needed to take more responsibility, starting with him.
"We lost our way in the middle. Didn't capitalise on the start that we got. It was a good pitch and we were 30-40 runs short the way we got the start but couldn't capitalise in the middle overs. Gotta give credit to their spinners as well, they bowled pretty well kept us under pressure and we were not able to respond," Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
"The senior guys need to step up starting with me. We know the nature of IPL. When it starts you gotta get some momentum towards and if you don't, it's always tough and we are trying to find the momentum. Its 2 games still. Not all lost here but you are right. Some of the senior guys from our team need to step up with the bat," he added.
The MI captain further said that they cannot let the two losses turn into a streak.
"That's the nature of this tournament, you can win a few on the trot. If you lose, it gets hard to get that momentum. We want to come out of that losing streak, I wouldn't call it a streak, its just 2 games. You need to do a lot of things right which we are trying to figure in our changing room. We are not able to execute in the middle. We need to come out and take that opportunity and be brave enough to do it in the middle," Rohit remarked.
Mumbai Indians will take on Delhi Capitals in their next match at Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 11.