MUMBAI: Would India’s T20 World Cup winners fare better if they were given a longer break before opting for their IPL franchises?Former West Indies paceman Ian Bishop thinks so. The World Cup stars were given about 20 days off before the start of the IPL and with their bodies still tired, the results are showing.
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“We didn’t play good cricket” – Mahela Jayawardene after MI’s biggest IPL loss vs CSKApart from Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, none of the batsmen from this team have been consistent in the IPL, while none of the bowlers are among the top 20 wicket takers.The team that has borne the brunt is Mumbai Indians, with big Indian players like Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Tilak Varma blowing cold rather than hot.“Speaking from the outside, what Bumrah, SKY and Arshdeep put in to win the T20 World Cup at home must have been exhausting. I would like to see some of those guys – especially Bumrah, who was outstanding in the World Cup – get a break to freshen up, sit back, analyze and fine-tune the skills that would take them to another level. During Thursday’s interaction, I would like to see and see success.He gave the example of Kolkata Knight Riders’ Varun Chakravarthy and how the rest – due to injury – helped him.Since his return, the mysterious mite has collected seven goals in four matches. Bishop also advocated a more diverse pitch to balance the bat-ball matchup, which has been skewed this season, with 10 totals out of the 200-plus they have already managed.“I like the mix of pitches that the tournament can produce. I want to see some good batting surfaces where the batsmen stick. But I also want surfaces like the one in Delhi (against RCB) or the ones in Lucknow that will offer something for the fast bowlers. Or something like the MICSK game where the ball tightened up and brought in Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad with ESPN working,” the expert said.Bishop felt that Mumbai Indians’ bowling has let them down this season and that Punjab Kings will also need to strengthen their attack as the tournament crosses the halfway stage. “There are a few areas that MI will know they need to work on. But if I had to pick one, it would be their bowling. When I go through the numbers, Mumbai and Punjab are at the bottom of the bowling charts and that’s problematic for me. I know we’re witnessing a paradigm shift in the way T20 cricket is played, but championship teams usually have a strong bowling attack.
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