IPL 2021: 4 captains who have always lost against MI
Mumbai Indians (MI) are the two-time defending champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Mumbai-based franchise made its IPL debut in 2008 and has featured every season since.
MI could not win a single title before 2013. But in the last eight years, they have been pretty dominant, winning five championships. The Rohit Sharma-led outfit has an opportunity to become the first IPL team to complete a hat-trick of championship wins in 2021.
MI have dominated almost every opponent in the IPL
Very few teams have been able to perform well against MI in the IPL. Former Rajasthan Royals captain Steve Smith has a 75% win percentage as captain against MI in the tournament's history. However, not every skipper has achieved as much success as Smith.
In this listicle today, we will take a look at those four captains who led their IPL teams in a minimum of two matches against the Mumbai Indians and always lost.
#1 Shane Watson - 3 matches, 3 defeats
Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson was one of the key players for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) from 2008 to 2015. He played a vital role in the team's only championship win in the inaugural season. Watson even captained RR for a few seasons.
In IPL 2014 and 2015, Watson led the Rajasthan Royals in three matches against the Mumbai Indians. While RR have a decent head-to-head record versus MI, the Jaipur-based franchise lost all of their games against Mumbai under Watson's captaincy. The most heartbreaking defeat came in the league phase of IPL 2014 when a special innings from Corey Anderson knocked RR out of the tournament.
#2 Brendon McCullum - 2 matches, 2 defeats
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have always struggled against the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Hence, it is not a surprise to see former KKR skipper Brendon McCullum on this list.
McCullum captained the Knight Riders in the second edition of the Indian Premier League. While MI did not make it to the semifinals that season, they managed to defeat KKR in both league meetings.
#3 Eoin Morgan - 2 matches, 2 defeats
Eoin Morgan is the second Kolkata Knight Riders captain to be a part of this list. The left-handed batsman made his IPL captaincy debut last year in the United Arab Emirates.
So far, Morgan has led KKR in two matches against MI, with his team ending on the losing side on both occasions. It will be interesting to see if Morgan can record his first win as KKR captain against MI on September 23.
#4 Cameron White - 2 matches, 2 defeats
Cameron White captained the Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad during his IPL career. The former Australian all-rounder led both teams in a match each against the Mumbai Indians.
MI beat the Deccan Chargers by five wickets in a low-scoring match at Wankhede Stadium in 2012. The following season, Mumbai defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by chasing a 184-run target at the same venue. Kieron Pollard starred in that run-chase with a 27-ball 66*.