Follow UsThe loss to Punjab Kings (PBKS) on May 26 (Monday) was a bit of a wake-up call for Mumbai Indians (MI), feels wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton. “They outplayed us tonight, so it's a bit of a wake-up call," Rickelton said at the post-match press conference.
"But I don't think it's the end of the world. The team is really starting to click nicely. There are probably just one or two areas we need to sharpen up—whether that's with the bat, ball, or in the field. I don't see it as something too concerning. We’ve got the skills within the group to bounce back. Come Friday, the guys will definitely be up for it. They'll work on the areas we need to improve, and I'm confident we'll be able to put in a strong performance."
MI scored 184/7 riding on a fifty by Suryakumar Yadav, but Rickelton, who scored 27 off 20, feels his side was at least 20 runs short. MI have never lost a game in which they have scored in excess of 200.
"We were obviously about 20 runs short. That said, we didn’t mind batting first. We know that if we can set up a good platform and post a total between 200 and 220, with our bowling attack, we’re usually in a strong position," the 28-year-old said.
"Historically, we've defended 200 quite well. It wasn’t a scenario we were dreading. I just think we lost wickets at crucial moments, and that prevented us from getting those extra 20 runs we were aiming for."
This loss means MI will play the Eliminator and not Qualifier 1, as they did not finish in the top two. They have no margin for error now as a loss in that match will see the five-time champions crash out of the competition.