Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma penned a poignant and passionate note a day after they slipped to their eighth successive defeat in IPL 2022.

The five-time champions suffered a 36-run defeat against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday as they returned to the Wankhede Stadium, considered their fortress, failing to chase down a target of 169. They have now been knocked out of the playoffs race.

“We haven’t put our best foot forward in this tournament but that happens, many sporting giants have gone through this phase but I love this team and its environment. Also want to appreciate our well-wishers who’ve shown faith and undying loyalty to this team so far,” Rohit tweeted on Monday.

Mumbai Indians responded to the post, saying: “Stronger Together”.

Rohit looked dejected as nothing went Mumbai Indians’ way on their much-anticipated homecoming. The skipper’s own form has been a cause for concern as the India captain has managed just 153 runs at an average of 19.12 in 8 matches.

Rohit showed signs of return to form after battling through the Powerplay with Ishan Kishan but was unable to convert his start into a big score. He was ultimately dismissed for 39 off 31 balls after miscuing a pull shot.

“A disjointed effort by Mumbai Indians,” said Sunil Gavaskar, summing up the Mumbai Indians’ performance on Sunday night.

Their only issue heading into the IPL was lack of spin options. However, over the course of their campaign, Mumbai Indians have shown more problems than expected, batting being one of the main reasons responsible for the debacle. Despite the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard, they have failed to fire as a unit.

Gavaskar has been most disappointed by Ishan’s attitude. The lefthanded opener started off well scoring back-to-back fifties before his form slumped and he managed just eight runs off 20 balls versus Lucknow Super Giants.

Ishan unnecessarily chased a wide ball to get a thick inside edge that hit Quinton de Kock’s boot, bounced off it and landed in Jason Holder’s hands at slip.

Gavaskar pointed to the fact that he did not wait for the referral and just started walking off before being stopped by the umpire.

“He had a miserable time. He just walked off because he had a miserable time. So he just wanted to get out of his misery. Generally batters, when they have ripped the ball of the middle-edge of the bat, and are caught at first slip, they would wait. But here’s a man, who hit the ball down, maybe even hit the turf, (but) he was not interested, he was just walking until the umpire asked him to wait. So it was just the mental situation he was in,” the batting legend said on Star Sports.

“Maybe he was rattled by the blow he got in the last match on his helmet and it is actually not a good sign because in places like Australia or South Africa there is extra bounce and with his propensity to go there and do nothing about it, he will just be a rabbit caught in the headlights. Every fast bowler is just going to bang it over there. Nobody will pitch it up because that’s where he likes. Anything below the waist he will smack it, but above, he is struggling at the moment,” he said.