Rickelton calls for improvement as MI prepares for IPL eliminator

Mumbai Indians opener Ryan Rickelton admitted that the seven-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings was a "wake-up call" but was confident that the five-time champions have what it takes to win the IPL Eliminator.

Mumbai missed a chance to seal a top-two finish, faltering in their final league game against PBKS on Monday. The defeat now sets them up for the Eliminator on Thursday, where they will face either Gujarat Titans or Sunrisers Hyderabad.

"They outplayed us… so it was a bit of a wake-up call," Rickelton said at the post-match press conference.

Invited to bat first, MI posted an underwhelming 184/7, which the Kings chased down with nine balls to spare.

The wicketkeeper batter acknowledged that Mumbai have areas to fine-tune ahead of the knockouts.

"It's not the end of the world. In all honesty, the team is clicking very nicely we just need to sharpen up one or two things with the bat, ball, and in the field as well.

"We've got the skills and group to win the Eliminator. The guys will definitely focus on the areas we need to improve, and I’m sure we’ll put up a strong performance,” he said.

Reflecting on the performance against PBKS, the South African felt MI were 20 runs short of a good total.

"We were obviously about 20 runs short. That said, we didn’t mind batting first. We know that if we can set up a good platform and post a total between 200 and 220, with our bowling attack, we’re usually in a strong position.

"Historically, we've defended 200 quite well. It wasn’t a scenario we were dreading. I just think we lost wickets at crucial moments, and that prevented us from getting those extra 20 runs we were aiming for."