5 most number of losses for MI before a win in an IPL season
It hasn't been a happy homecoming for Hardik Pandya to the Mumbai Indians (MI) set-up as captain so far.
Not only has Hardik been on the receiving end of MI fans' wrath who have rung out constant boos towards him, but on the field also, he has not been able to impress so far.
MI have suffered their third loss in as many matches in the IPL 2024 so far, and things seem to be going in a downward spiral for the five-time champions.
After letting the first game slip out of their grasp, the Mumbai Indians went on to concede the highest ever team total in IPL history (277 runs) against SunRisers Hyderabad.
In their third game, the batting line-up surrendered against the disciplined Rajasthan Royals' bowling attack led by Trent Boult, on a sticky wicket and managed to score only 125 runs (the lowest total in IPL 2024 so far).
It's an early phase in the tournament, and with lots of cricket still to be played, one cannot rule out a rousing comeback from the Hardik Pandya-led side in the remaining matches, considering them being a slow-starter historically.
Also, if any team can turn around their fortunes in this precarious situation, it's the Mumbai Indians. They have been in this kind of situation many times before and rose like a phoenix to make it to the playoffs and even win the title.
On that note, let's look at some of the instances when the Mumbai Indians struggled to register their first win in the tournament.
5 most number of losses for MI before a win in an IPL season
#5 IPL 2018: 3 matches
Mumbai Indians finished fifth in the IPL 2018 points table, missing out on a playoff berth with only 12 points to their credit.
But their missing out on the top-4 berth was mainly because of their initial struggle in the tournament. MI lost their first three matches against CSK, SRH, and DC.
While against CSK and SRH they failed to close out the game despite being in the driver's seat, DC beat the Mumbai unit comfortably by seven wickets.
Had they won their last league game against DC, they would have scripted another come-from-behind playoff appearance.
#4 IPL 2008: 4 matches
In the inaugural edition of IPL 2008, Mumbai Indians, under stand-in skipper Harbhajan Singh and Shaun Pollock, lost the first four matches of the season before defeating the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to end their losing streak.
They huffed and puffed but couldn't make it to the playoffs (they lost fourth place to the Rajasthan Royals) and finished the tournament with seven wins under their belt (they finished fifth in the points table).
#3 IPL 2015: 4 matches
After losing their first four matches in IPL 2015, no one gave MI a chance to make it to the playoffs, let alone win the title eventually.
But the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians saw a resounding turnaround, winning eight matches out of the remaining 10 league games.
Opener Lendl Simmons, Lasith Malinga and Rohit Sharma led the fairytale comeback for the Mumbai-based franchise, with them beating hot favorites Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final.
#2 IPL 2014: 5 matches
IPL 2013 champions Mumbai Indians once again found themselves in a similar pit in 2014 when they lost the first four matches of the tournament.
Once again, after a slow start to their journey, the then-defending champions went on to play in the playoffs, where they got beaten comprehensively by arch-rivals CSK.
#1 IPL 2022: 8 matches
It was nothing short of a nightmarish season for the Mumbai Indians as they lost their first eight matches on the trot thanks to their handling of the mega auction.
The desire to see Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer bowling in tandem and some overspending on certain players saw the side completely undervaluing their bowling resources.
This resulted in Rohit Sharma's side fighting to avoid the wooden spoon (bottom position) on the points table.