IPL 2022: Holders Chennai Super Kings, five-time champions Mumbai India still winless

Mumbai, April 10

Reigning Indian Premier League champions Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai India, the tournament’s most successful team, struggled to get their 2022 campaigns going as both teams fell to their fourth defeat in as many matches on Saturday.

Chennai named India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as their captain two days before the start of the world’s richest Twenty20 tournament after the talismanic Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who led them to four IPL titles, relinquished the role.

The team, which has finished runner-up on five occasions, on Saturday went down to Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets to remain winless.

Head coach Stephen Fleming said the team were lacking in the every department and needed to quickly find self-belief to turn things around.

“We were well outplayed today. We’re sort of learning,” former New Zealand skipper Fleming told reporters, adding that Chennai were struggling with some injuries to key players.

“And we haven’t had any evidence that sort of helps the belief. We are not winning any games. Not being close to winning any games, you get a bit of self-doubt, and the players get a little bit niggly.

“We’re just not getting ourselves in positions to pressurise the opposition and we’re just coming a distant second. It takes one or two good performances and then you get a bit of belief and a bit of evidence that you’re an OK side and away you go. But at the moment, we look a long way away from that.” Five-time champions Mumbai suffered a spectacular collapse, losing six wickets for 29 runs after an opening stand of 50 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Mumbai, led by India’s all-format captain Rohit Sharma, recovered through Suryakumar Yadav’s splendid unbeaten 68 to post 151-6 but it was not enough as Bangalore chased it down comfortably with nine balls to spare and seven wickets in hand.

The side have traditionally been slow starters in the IPL and team director Zaheer Khan is not giving up hope.

“You’ve got to be able to close those moments of the game where the momentum is shifting. We’ve, as a team, not been able to do that,” former India seamer Zaheer said.

“There are still 11 league matches to go. We’ve got to get on a roll. It’s just a matter of (the) first win. At times you get tight as well, you start doubting yourselves in situations where the pressure is highest.”