3 losses in 3 matches; 7-factor analysis of MI's performance in the IPL
It has been an eventful few days for the cricket fans. A week full of a sumptuous dose of cricket - sixes and fours, bouncers and yorkers, injuries and protests, tweets and posts - the most any cricket fan could hope for. The IPL tagline says - "Sher se Sher ladega to kaun jeetega?" ( when a lion fights with a lion who would win?). The tagline is indeed true as this is perhaps the first IPL wherein it is extremely difficult to single out a potential winner or a stronger side at least when we scan through the squads.
The defending champions Mumbai Indians have started off in a typical fashion this season as well - losing all the three matches that they have played in nail-biting encounters. But even after these loses the MI fans would not worry much as they are aware of the fact that the champion brigade take time to get on the right track but once on it, there is no stopping them. Rohit Sharma and the team management are still in search of that perfect mix of players that will form the recipe for success this season.
Let us dive in deep and find out what Mumbai Indians seem to have got correct and what not based on 7 factors...
#1 Powerplay batting (overs 1- 6)
Over the years the Mumbai Indians have always struggled to find the right opening pair that can get them off to a flier. This season too the first two matches lacked the expected fireworks as MI kept on losing wickets at regular intervals.
However, MI significantly improved its powerplay performance by promoting in-form Suryakumar Yadav to open the innings along with Evin Lewis. They managed to score at a staggering 14 runs an over. It would be interesting to see how consistent this opening combination is.
Have a look at the powerplay batting stats -
