Ambati Rayudu: Former India and Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Ambati Rayudu has made a striking statement, recalling an IPL 2012 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The match, played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, saw RCB posting 171 in their 20 overs.
Ambati Rayudu: In reply, MI lost half their side for just 51 runs. However, Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard then added an unbeaten 122-run partnership to guide MI to a thrilling victory with two balls to spare. Rayudu remained unbeaten on 81 off 54 balls, while Pollard finished with 52* off 31.
Ambati Rayudu: While Mumbai secured a stunning win, the match was also marked by a verbal spat between Rayudu and Harshal Patel, with the former fined 100% of his match fee and the RCB bowler docked 25% of his earnings.
On Monday, August 18, Rayudu appeared on a YouTube podcast with Shubhankar Mishra, where he was asked about the incident. The 39-year-old responded:
“That day, RCB realized what MI really is. We stayed quiet since even in that match we were five or six wickets down, so they thought they had already won. But MI being MI… that’s where the culture was built. The tough culture, the mindset of making a comeback after being down, playing with aggression, winning close games, and never giving up till the very end. Even this year, in Delhi, we won a match on a run-out. MI always finds a way. That’s in the DNA, that’s in the culture.”
Meanwhile, that season, MI’s campaign ended with a defeat to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the eliminator, while RCB failed to make it to the playoffs.
“It is very strategic” – Ambati Rayudu on Mumbai India’s resurgence in the second half of IPL tournaments
In the same conversation, Ambati Rayudu was asked to comment on how Mumbai Indians often lose their opening game but go on to win the championship, having claimed five titles. The 39-year-old explained how many teams have been unable to figure out the dynamics of the tournament, saying:
“The IPL is a two-month tournament. Many teams treat it like a relay race, they start running fast and get ahead early. But at the end of the day, you only win the race if you finish strongly at the end. Many don’t understand this. In the IPL, April is one phase, May is another, because the weather changes, the pitches change, you travel more, and you have to prepare for the playoffs. You need to build your team accordingly and make combinations with that in mind. It is very strategic.”
“And many teams make the mistake of constantly changing players. If you make fewer changes and give someone a chance to grow, it pays off. If you have confidence that he is a match-winner, then even if he doesn’t perform in five games as a batsman, if he wins you two matches, that’s enough. If you play 12-13 players and even two of them deliver match-winning or near match-winning performances in the season, you qualify for the playoffs. But teams keep changing, keep changing, I don’t know why. They still haven’t figured out how to crack it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians last won their opening game of the season in 2012.
