Simon Doull, a former New Zealand pacer, stated that Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Mumbai Indians, needs to be free to focus on playing in the Indian Premier League. In a game that will be crucial to their attempt to make the playoffs, MI will take on SunRisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
In an interview with Cricbuzz, Doull stated that he supported Virat Kohli’s decision to resign as the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and that he would like Rohit to do the same. Rohit has scored 257 runs for MI this season in 13 games, averaging 19 points and striking for 131 points per game.
“Like I am with Rohit now that he is the captain of India, I was a big supporter of him [Virat Kohli] giving up the captaincy of the RCB. He needs to be free to play in this tournament, in my opinion,” said Doull.”
Kohli’s loss of the RCB captaincy, he continued, “seemed to put all of the pressure on him. Last year, Kohli was replaced as RCB’s captain by South African batter Faf du Plessis. The Orange Cap is currently held by Du Plessis, and Kohli is the fourth-highest scorer in the IPL 2023.”
“I felt like every pressure was on Virat when I talked about the captaincy. Indian captaincy, three formats, RCB captaincy, and just to see that taken away, and it was never going to go to someone he wasn’t going to respect. Only two or three players in the history of cricket in the world had the opportunity to represent their country as a captain in Bangalore, Doull continued.”
“The IPL trophy is missing from the RCB’s trophy case, according to Doull, and after their victory over SunRisers Hyderabad, their supporters may be wondering if this is their year. On May 21, RCB will play host to Gujarat Titans, the reigning champions, in a crucial match.”
“That [IPL trophy] is the only thing missing from Bangalore’s résumé. To not have a title is a disservice to that franchise, to that uniform, when you consider the teams they have had and the players who have come and gone. You ponder when you witness that kind of performance tonight. Fans of Bangalore may wonder if this is the year, according to Doull.”
The final league-stage match between MI and SRH will take place at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium after MI’s defeat to Lucknow Super Giants.
