Mumbai Indians will come back stronger, says Rohit Sharma

Mumbai Indians (MI) had a poor season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, where the franchise bagged the wooden spoon with four wins out of fourteen games. 

Skipper Rohit Sharma's poor form with the bat only added to their oscillating campaign, which was further hindered due to multiple injuries to key personnel dragging them down even more.

Reflecting on the season, Rohit has said that it was an unexpected tournament for the Mumbai-based club, and they will come back even stronger in the 2023 edition.

According to IANS, Rohit stated, “It was an unexpected season, but we do want to reflect on the learnings and the positives. It was great to see how the team stuck together and backed each other. Now it’s about how we look at the next season and how we prepare. We managed to end on a high, and that was important for us. We are gonna come back stronger,"

Having suffered eight straight losses this season and created an unwanted record in the IPL, Mumbai tried to turn its fortunes around by winning 3 out of their last five games, but the train had left the station by then.

The Mumbai-born lauded the unity in the squad and thanked everyone for working towards one goal.

“The unity in the team is a good sign. I didn’t see any of them give up. We stayed together as a family. They were trying their best in training, and I am proud of that. The camaraderie in the team has been excellent. We had one goal, and everyone was working towards it," the 35-year-old explained.

Not everything was disastrous for the Ambani-owned franchise youngsters like Tilak Verma, Dewald Brevis, Tim David, and Hrithik Shokeen, who put up their hands when senior pros like Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, and Ishan Kishan faired poorly.

“Some of them are going to be gun players in the future. Them putting their hand up and giving their best was the most pleasing part of the season. They are mentally strong and have that hunger. A lot of them were playing for the first time, so it was our job to make them feel comfortable,"

"The support from the management is crucial here, and I am glad to know we have that. They gave us the freedom and support, and I can see a bright future for the team," the all-format India captain concluded.

Rohit was rested from India's upcoming T20I series against South Africa, where KL Rahul will take over the mantle from him. The right-hander will be in action in England, where India play a one-off Test in Birmingham before the limited-overs series.