Mumbai Indians team mentor Sachin Tendulkar has called T20 a "cruel" format where small margins are crucial and suggested that the struggling five-time IPL champions go out and win the crunch moments to arrest their slide.

Mumbai Indians have had a disastrous campaign this season. The Rohit Sharma-led side remains wineless, having lost all its seven matches so far. "Let's first understand that in this format there isn't a team who has not experienced what Mumbai Indians have experienced this season," Tendulkar told Matthew Hayden during a chat on 'Star Sports'.

"This format can be cruel. And those crucial moments in a match which don't go in your favour then literally the margin is like you lose a game by two or three runs or sometimes even the last ball. "And those smaller margins, we need to go out and conquer those moments, those crunch moments in the match are what we have to win. And they haven't gone our way," he said. The cricket icon said the players especially the youngsters will take some time to settle in.

"I would like to clarify one more point: in spite of having had a challenging season the boys have gone out and worked as hard as possibly they could during their practice sessions. "This is a new team, a young team. It may take a little more time to settle down, but these phases are such where you have to ride through these phases, stick together as a team and find the solution."

Ponting's family member tests Covid positive, DC head coach isolated for five days

Ricky Ponting (R) with DC skipper Rishabh Pant File Picture

A family member of Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to go into a five-day isolation, the IPL franchise said on Friday. Ponting, though, has tested negative for the virus, the franchise that has been battling a slew of COVID cases over the past few days announced hours before its IPL match against Rajasthan Royals.

The family has now been moved into an isolation facility. "Ponting himself has tested negative twice subsequently. However, in the best interest of the team, the management and medical team has decided that he will remain in isolation for five days, as he was a close contact," the Delhi Capitals said in the statement.

"He will, therefore, not be present at the ground for tonight's game against Rajasthan Royals. The franchise requests for Ponting and his family's privacy to be respected in the current scenario," it added. The condition of all individuals in the bubble who have tested positive so far is being closely monitored. "The team looks forward to everyone's speedy recovery."

On Wednesday, the game between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings was played as scheduled after being rendered doubtful due to the emergence of a sixth COVID-19 case in the former's camp, with the bio-bubble breach raising some serious questions. High drama unfolded in the lead-up to that game with Tim Seifert becoming the sixth member from Delhi contingent to test positive. Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh had tested positive on Monday.