Sunil Gavaskar's Bold Suggestion To MI After IPL 2026 Elimination: "Give Them Chances"
Following Mumbai Indians' elimination from the IPL 2026, Sunil Gavaskar has made a bold suggestion to the five-time champions.
Ahead of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI), former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said that after being eliminated from playoff contention, MI must give a chance to younger players in the squad so that they can be better placed for the next season, aware of their strengths and weaknesses. PBKS will be aiming to snap their four-match losing streak after a dream start, and MI, sitting in the bottom half, could be an easy target for them. Gavaskar highlighted PBKS' desperation to break this winless run that comes just after a seven-match unbeaten run and as a MI supporter, adviced the five-time champions to try out more youngsters in their final few games.
Speaking on Star Sports 'Cricket Live', Gavaskar said, "Punjab Kings would be desperate to get back to winning ways. After losing four games in a row, that is when you start to doubt yourself. Then you start looking around. You wonder whether you need to make changes in the playing XI or do something differently. Punjab will want to win."
"As far as the Mumbai Indians go, I am a Mumbai Indians supporter. And now that they are out of contention of the playoffs, I would like to see them try some younger players. Who they leave out is for them and their management to decide. But they have some young players in their reserves, those who have not had an opportunity yet to prove their worth. Give them chances in the remaining three matches and see what they are like. That way, you will be better placed for the next season," he signed off.
Raj Angad Bawa, opener Danish Malewar, wicketkeeper-batter Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat and Raghu Sharma are some of the lesser-used talent that MI can try in their final three matches.
Squads:
Mumbai Indians Squad: Ryan Rickelton(w), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar, Trent Boult, Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Shardul Thakur, Quinton de Kock, Hardik Pandya, Keshav Maharaj, Ashwani Kumar, Mayank Markande, Sherfane Rutherford, Danish Malewar, Krish Bhagat, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar
Punjab Kings Squad: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Praveen Dubey, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Lockie Ferguson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nehal Wadhera, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash, Vishal Nishad.
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Mumbai Indians
Punjab Kings
Sunil Gavaskar