Why is the 2024 version of Mumbai Indians missing the comeback software?
As the dust settled on the absolute battering that Mumbai Indians (MI) received at the hands of Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede earlier this season, captain Hardik Pandya had a message for the fans that showed everything you needed to know about the five-time IPL champions. He wrote:
"If there's one thing you should know about this team, we never give up. We'll keep fighting, we'll keep going."
Three losses from three games and the skipper coming out and giving this message wasn't just a consolation to the beleaguered fans. It was a ray of hope validated by what MI had achieved in the past. The tag 'slow starters' that they got over the years was not something they minded as they often found a way to come back into the tournament.
The wins against the Delhi Capitals and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru followed and opposition fans wouldn't be wrong to have thought, "Ah! Here we go again, they always do this. They always find a way." The MI supporters certainly would have been buoyed by those results and hoped that the Mumbai Indians juggernaut had started rolling.
However, the hopes have come crashing down as after a hattrick of losses, MI are all but out of the race to the playoffs. Within a month of the post made by Hardik Pandya, the hopes of the campaign coming back on track have arguably gone up in flames.
This begs the question - was Mumbai Indians' comeback like the yesteryears really a serious possibility? Or did the wheels coming off their playoff charge had an air of inevitability about it? A deep dive into some of their famous comebacks could give us the answer.
Mumbai Indians earlier had bench strength to rescue them
Let's go a decade back when the first phase of the IPL 2014 season had to be played in Dubai. Mumbai Indians were the only team that lost all five of their games and the season already seemed over even before the teams could come back to India for the next phase.
One would have been considered a bit too optimistic and borderline naive to back MI to make it to the playoffs at that stage. However, that's exactly what happens and it remains one of the most extraordinary comebacks in the history of the IPL. So what changed?
Lasith Malinga's figures of 4/23 vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 0/22 vs Chennai Super Kings, and 2/17 against the Delhi Daredevils all came in those losses. There was a clear pattern of the Sri Lankan legend not getting enough support from the other end.
In the sixth match of the season, MI trusted a young Jasprit Bumrah back into their XI to provide that support and it ended up being a start of one of the greatest bowling partnerships that the IPL had seen. Bumrah's 0/25 against Kings XI Punjab followed by 2/22 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru played a crucial role in MI getting that balance in their bowling once again.
Fast forward to the present where the baton of the attack has been passed from Malinga to Bumrah and the latter's sensational performances have seen him wear the Purple Cap. However, the disparity between Bumrah and the other MI bowlers has almost made it a set plan for the opposition to play out the Indian speedster.
Out of Gerald Coetzee (10.06), Akash Madhwal (11.28) and Hardik Pandya (11.0), no one comes close to Jasprit Bumrah's economy (6.40). They tried going to the bench and using the likes of Nuwan Thushara (10.36), Kwena Maphaka (14.83) and Luke Wood (15.50), but simply no one has come close to providing Bumrah the support he needed.
Mumbai Indians have already used 20 players and one can argue that this is as good as their team combination could get. The injuries to Jason Behrendorff and Dilshan Madhushanka did play a massive role in MI not having the bowling resources. However, the replacements that they bought in could be argued as the ones who just didn't have enough experience.
Probably someone like Ottniel Baartman could have been an underrated choice, given his experience of T20 leagues. MI haven't been shy of having such underrated picks when it comes to overseas players; Lendl Simmons and Mitchell McClengahan are the biggest examples.
Lendl Simmons came into that 2014 Mumbai Indians side and in eight games, scored 394 runs at an average of 56.28, playing a crucial role in their run to the playoffs. He bettered that tally in the next season with a staggering 430 runs from 13 games, including 68 and 65 against the Chennai Super Kings in the Qualifier 1 and the Final, respectively, showing his big-match ability.
MI previously had characters who could lift the team up
The mention of the 2015 edition of the season brought us nicely to the next big factor that the current Mumbai Indians setup has lacked a lot so far this season - big characters. The start of IPL 2015 wasn't too different for MI than 2014 as they lost five out of their first six matches.
Their big-money signing Corey Anderson was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with a fractured finger and MI brought in Alex Hales as a replacement. However, they brought a strong character to their bowling department in the form of New Zealand's Mitchell McClenaghan.
Defending just 158 at the Wankhede Stadium against the SunRisers Hyderabad, McClenaghan clinched figures of 3/20 and ran riot with Lasith Malinga (4/23). Just his presence and ability to make things happen made a difference to Mumbai Indians' performances. Rohit Sharma and his men had no looking back from that stage as they went on to win the IPL 2015 title.
McClenaghan picked up 18 wickets in 12 matches that season. Those who followed every MI game will remember how he celebrated David Warner's wicket by smashing his hand on the ground numerous time, showing the passion he had.
Speaking about passion and character, it will be unfair to probably the biggest character MI have had in their dressing room - Kieron Pollard. His waning form in IPL 2022 probably warranted Mumbai Indians moving on from him as a player, but that character and the strong mindset on the field is something they haven't found yet.
In a must-win game against the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2015 season, Pollard defended 12 runs in the final over and his celebration after the final ball, pumping his chest and showing the badge told you all you needed to know about how he played his cricket.
The current MI team has had numerous situations where their shoulders drooped and needed some strong voice to pick them up. However, it just didn't happen consistently enough. They do have the likes of Pollard and Malinga in the coaching staff. However, it is a completely different ball game when players cross the boundary line.
A lot has changed in a year for Mumbai
Even if one doesn't want to go too far back and wants recent proof, the season last year is another great example. Just like this year, at the halfway point, Mumbai Indians had just three wins from seven games. Just like this year, they made a change in the bowling in the eighth game that made a massive difference.
The change in the bowling was Akash Madhwal, who picked up 14 wickets in eight matches and that played a major role in Mumbai's charge to the playoffs. This year, Mumbai expected Madhwal to turn up but unfortunately he lost his place in the XI after being expensive in five games.
The aforementioned Lendl Simmons factor also underlined the importance of top-order firing on all cylinders. Suryakumar Yadav had his best season in a Mumbai Indians shirt with 605 runs in IPL 2023 from 16 games. He and Ishan Kishan (454 runs) peaked at the right time and were the nucleus of that batting line-up that used to chase down massive totals for fun last year.
However, the top-order misfiring this year has made things worse for MI and the match against the Rajasthan Royals, the Delhi Capitals, and Lucknow Super Giants where they lost three wickets in the powerplay told the story.
The change of guard has also been a massive factor, with Hardik Pandya taking over the reins from Rohit Sharma and the white noise associated with the same hasn't made it any easier for Mumbai Indians. It seems to have affected Hardik's decision-making and that has been explained by the writer in detail.
While MI can still mathematically reach 14 points and have an outside chance at the playoff spots, there are enough reasons to believe why it may not happen this season. It has been one of those seasons where Mumbai have gone one step forward, two steps back.
In the hope of making a comeback like the 2014 and 2015 editions, Mumbai Indians seem to be going down the route of IPL 2022 where a wooden spoon was all they got. When they left the Wankhede for four away games on the bounce, not many would have thought that the playoff hopes would be all but over by the time they are back.
They say that the flame burns brightest before it goes off and Mumbai Indians will hope their flame lights up the Wankhede cauldron once more for their fans for the final stretch of their season. The show must go on.