Rohit Sharma wanted MI to peak now, not at the start, says Cameron Green as Mumbai enter Qualifier 2

Mumbai Indians (MI) went past Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2023's Eliminator on Wednesday (May 24). The five-time winners, who entered the playoffs as the fourth-placed side, romped past LSG by 81 runs in defence of 182/8 courtesy of brilliance from young pacer Akash Madhwal and quickfire knocks from Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green and Nehal Wadhera.

Opting to bat first, MI rode on contributions from their main batters propelled Rohit Sharma & Co. to a challenging total before Madhwal's five-for (5 for 5 in 3.3 overs), smart bowling changes and LSG succumbing to the pressure led Mumbai to Qualifier 2, where they meet defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) on Friday (May 26).

After the game, Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green -- who scored a century in MI's last game in the league stage and is churning out key wickets as well -- claimed that Rohit asked the team to focus on peaking at the right time than starting with a bang and then fading away.

'You want to be peaking at the right time'

“All the experience that he has got in India and in the IPL. I think MI has never won the first game in the IPL, I think. He has tried to tell us a few times to calm us down at the start. You want to be peaking at this time of the year (tournament).

“That is what he has been speaking about. You don’t want to be playing good cricket at the start and then slowing down. You want to be peaking now. Ya, and we play a nice game tonight,” Cameron Green told the broadcasters.

MI will now ride on their sublime form to challenge GT and prevent them from entering their second straight IPL final. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have already qualified for the summit clash, to be held in Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 28).