Kolkata: The five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians put up one of their worst shows in this edition becoming the first side to be eliminated. It didn’t take long for news to trickle out that not everything is fine in the MI camp as senior players have reportedly expressed their displeasure over the running of the side. However, South African pacer Gerald Coetzee rubbished any such scenario on Friday, a day before playing Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens.
“I think the mood in the dressing room has been really good. It’s been in a good mood consistently, right throughout. We’ve done our best in every game and have prepared well. Yes the results have not always gone our way as we have made some mistakes and sometimes we’ve even been outplayed,” he stated.
The pacer felt below-par shows often leads to different speculations, but pointed out that “there’s not much to look into that.”
MI have a new captain in Hardik Pandya who many felt have failed to lead from the front. Pandya, who had led a young Gujarat Titans team to back-to-back IPL finals winning the inaugural edition, has struggled with both bat and ball. But Coetzee was all praise for his skipper. “I think he’s been a really good captain. Every captain has a unique style of operation. He’s been really motivational to the guys and clear with the plans. I think he’s an exceptional captain,” he said.
The youngster was happy to get Jasprit Bumrah as his colleague in his first IPL. “His (Bumrah) art boils down to simplicity and accuracy and he has done that better than all in this competition,” he stated.