Last Updated:
Ahead of IPL 2025 playoffs, Ryan Rickelton feels that Mumbai Indians, who will play the Eliminator, have areas to improve.
Mumbai Indians finished fourth on the points table. (BCCI Photo)
Mumbai Indians opener Ryan Rickelton acknowledged that the seven-wicket loss to Punjab Kings was a “wake-up call,” but he remains confident that the five-time champions can win the IPL Eliminator.
Mumbai missed the chance to secure a top-two finish, faltering in their final league game against PBKS on Monday. The defeat means they will now compete in the Eliminator on Thursday, facing either Gujarat Titans or Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“They outplayed us… so it was a bit of a wake-up call,” Rickelton said at the post-match press conference.
Asked to bat first, MI posted an underwhelming 184/7, which the Kings chased down with nine balls to spare.
The wicketkeeper-batter noted that Mumbai has areas to improve before the knockouts.
“It’s not the end of the world. In all honesty, the team is clicking very nicely; we just need to fine-tune one or two things with the bat, ball, and fielding as well.
“We’ve got the skills and group to win the Eliminator. The guys will definitely focus on the areas we need to improve, and I’m sure we’ll put up a strong performance,” he said.
Reflecting on the performance against PBKS, the South African felt MI were 20 runs short of a competitive total.
“We were obviously about 20 runs short. That said, we didn’t mind batting first. We know that if we can set up a good platform and post a total between 200 and 220, with our bowling attack, we’re usually in a strong position.
“Historically, we’ve defended 200 quite well. It wasn’t a scenario we were dreading. I just think we lost wickets at crucial moments, and that prevented us from getting those extra 20 runs we were aiming for.”
- First Published:
