Mumbai Indians (MI) are neither too concerned about the kind of pitches they are going to play on, nor fussed about the form of their most experienced player, Rohit Sharma.
In IPL 2025, MI have won only one game so far - at home against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - while losing two matches on the road, to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT). In both Chennai and Ahmedabad, they played on slow surfaces which their batters found hard to score on, but as soon as they got home earlier this week, MI opened their account by skittling KKR for just 116.
MI are on the road again, to play Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday. Although LSG also weren't too happy with their home conditions against Punjab Kings; the Lucknow curator copped heavy criticism from LSG mentor Zaheer Khan.
"For me and for us, I think it's more about adaptability in whatever is presented on a particular day," MI batting coach Kieron Pollard said on Thursday. "As a former player and management, you want to be able to prepare for any eventuality and you try to control things that you can control, and the nature of the surfaces is something that we can't control as a management and as a playing group. So whatever is presented, that's how you get to be called world class and legends that you are able to adapt to anything that is in front of you."
Rohit, who had finished the 2025 Champions Trophy with a match-winning 76 against New Zealand in the final, has not been able to continue his form in the IPL. So far, he has been dismissed for 13, 8 and 0, getting out to soft dismissals on two occasions, and being beaten by a Mohammed Siraj scorcher in the third. Pollard said Rohit had "earned the right" to "not be pressurised".
"I've played alongside Rohit since Under-19 cricket and he has forged his name and etched his name in history in the record books, in different situations, different formats of the game," Pollard said. "He is a legend of the game in his own right, and as an individual as well.
"There are times when you have a couple of low scores … he has earned the right as an individual to now enjoy his cricket and not be pressurised in certain situations. So let's not judge on a couple of low scores. In cricket, we know we fail more than we succeed and I'm sure we'll be singing his praises when he gives us that big score and then we'll be on to the next hot topic."