Former Indian batsman Ambati Rayudu made a bold claim about the batting order of Mumbai Indians (MI) after their crushing defeat to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at home. Rayudu said that Tilak Verma should play as a finisher, citing his past success against teams like Gujarat Titans (GT) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2026.
Mumbai Indians had to face defeat by 103 runs against Chennai Super Kings in a one-sided match. Wankhede Stadium On Thursday, April 23. Chasing the target of 208 runs, the home team was all out for 104 runs in 19 overs. The Mumbai-based franchise recorded its biggest ever defeat against their arch-rivals.
I think Tilak Verma is getting a little confused – Ambati Rayudu
During the recent ESPNcricinfo timeout discussion, Ambati Rayudu said that Tilak Verma looks confident about his plans while batting in the last five overs. However, he said that batting in the middle overs affects young Tilak Verma’s innings-making ability.
“If you look at his best innings [against Gujarat Titans]Most of his runs have come in the last four or five overs [he scored 64 runs in 17 balls in the last four overs]. And that doesn’t mean he has to settle. Even when he walks in [in the last five overs]He is ready and willing. At that middle stage, I think Tilak is getting a bit confused, that, you know, will I make an innings now? Do I really take on bowlers? He doesn’t really have that clarity.”
“If you’ve seen his 8 [from three balls, against Punjab Kings]When Rutherford was bowled by Arshdeep [Singh]Tilak was prepared to hit in areas where he knew the bowlers were going to bowl. He is a brilliant batsman at number six and seven. He knows what is happening,” Rayudu said.
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Sherfane Rutherford will remain at number 5 – Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu and former Mumbai Indians fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan agreed on the ideal batting position for Sherfane Rutherford. He believes that the explosive all-rounder from West Indies needs time to settle down and assess the conditions before launching his attack in the death overs.
“Hold on to Rutherford [at No. 5]. Because Rutherford needs some balls. And then it can be explosive. But Tilak doesn’t need those balls to be explosive,” Rayudu said.
McClenaghan said, “I think Sherfane is a great option at five because we know he can hit the end. But once he gets set he hits the end. And we’ve seen that in other tournaments as well.”
Tilak Verma struggled at No. 5 with 37 before losing to Akil Hossein
Sanju Samson performed brilliantly while Mumbai Indians struggled with the bat. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored an unbeaten 101 runs off 54 balls, which included ten fours and six sixes. Allah Ghazanfar and Ashwini Kumar took two wickets each, but CSK still posted a strong score of 207.
While defending the target, left arm spinner Akil Hosein played an important role by taking four wickets for just 17 runs. Tilak Verma, batting at number five, tried to fight back by scoring 37 runs in 29 balls including five fours, but was dismissed by Hosein. Suryakumar Yadav added 36 runs, but the rest of the batting collapsed.
With this win, Mumbai Indians lost by more than 100 runs for the first time. Chennai Super Kings moved up to fifth place, while Mumbai Indians slipped to eighth place in the standings.
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