NEW DELHI: Former Australia captain
Michael Clarke
believes that winning major tournaments relies on teamwork rather than individual brilliance. He suspects that the Mumbai Indians camp is divided into factions, preventing players from working together effectively.
Following the abrupt pre-season change in captaincy, with
Hardik Pandya
replacing
Rohit Sharma
, the five-time champions are in disarray.
To have a chance at qualifying for the playoffs, they must win all of their remaining five matches.
Clarke expressed his doubts about Mumbai's chances of making it to the playoffs, stating on Star Sports Cricket Live, "Yeah, I don't know (they will make it to the playoffs). I think it's wishful thinking for Mumbai this entire IPL."
He further elaborated, "I think there's a lot more going on than what we are seeing on the outside and you can't have that many good players and perform this inconsistently.
"So, I think there are different groups inside that changing room and something is not working, they are not gelling together, they are not playing as a team."
Despite having proven match winners in their squad, MI have struggled to secure victories this season, suffering six losses in nine matches. Their three wins can be attributed to the individual brilliance of pacer
Jasprit Bumrah
and the big-hitting
Romario Shepherd
.
Clarke acknowledged the potential impact of individual performances, saying, "Individual brilliance can get them over the line if Rohit Sharma comes in and gets another hundred or Hardik does something with the bat or Bumrah bowls like a genius again, you never know."
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However, he emphasized the importance of teamwork in winning big tournaments, adding, "I think to win big tournaments you need to be a team and not just have individual performances and unfortunately they haven't played well as a team so I hope they turn it around, but I can't see them winning this game."
MI, currently second-to-last on the points table, will face the Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday in Lucknow.
(Inputs from PTI)
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