Rohit Sharma was a disappointed captain as Mumbai Indians (MI) suffered a comprehensive 23-run defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals (RR) at DY Patil Stadium on Saturday (April 2).

Chasing 194 to win, the five-time champions were restricted to 170/8 in 20 overs. Tilak Varma (61) and Ishan Kishan (54) may have excelled with the bat, but they failed to take the team over the line.

“I thought they batted well to get to 193. Buttler played an exceptional innings, we tried everything we could to get him out. But I thought 193 on that pitch could’ve been chased, especially when we needed 70 in 7 overs. But these things can happen and its early days. We can learn," Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

However, the skipper did note the positives from the game, which also included Jasprit Bumrah (3-17) and Tymal Mills’ (3-35) performances with the ball.

“Few," he said, adding, “Bumrah bowling well. Mills as well. And Tilak played exceptionally. And Ishan’s batting was terrific. I thought one of those two batting till the end would have made the difference."

It was MI’s second successive loss in the cash-rich tournament and they are certainly missing the services of Suryakumar Yadav, who recently joined the team after undergoing rehab at the NCA to heal his finger injury.

However, Rohit said that they will not risk playing Suryakumar unless he completely recovers from his finger injury.

“He is a key player for us. Once he gets fit, he comes in straight but we want him to recover since finger injuries are tricky."

(With PTI inputs)