Where They Finished in This Cycle
- 2022: 10th
- 2023: 4th
- 2024: 10th
Read More: Top 5 ISL Clubs with the Most Goals from Substitutes in the 2023-24 Season
Mumbai Indians’ Season at a Glance
Entering the season with significant buzz, the team underwent a high-profile captaincy change that sparked widespread speculation due to the lack of a clear explanation. This led to an unprecedented atmosphere where home team captain Hardik Pandya was booed by their own fans. Mumbai’s on-field performances were inconsistent, with key players, including Rohit Sharma, struggling to find form after a promising start to the season. Jasprit Bumrah stood out as the lone bright spot in an otherwise disappointing campaign, marking what is arguably the team’s poorest cycle in IPL history.
Under Fire: Hardik Pandya’s Struggles Amid Fan Backlash and Poor Results
Hardik Pandya often cut a forlorn figure, masking the extreme pressure with a forced smile. The crowd at Wankhede Stadium was relentless in expressing their displeasure, and the team’s poor results only intensified the scrutiny on the captain from all sides.
Mumbai Indians’ Player of the Season: Jasprit Bumrah
With 20 wickets in 13 games at an economy rate of just 6.48, Bumrah was head and shoulders above not just anyone else in his team but across the competition.
Mumbai Indians’ Best Game
If there was one game that showcased the talent and impact that the Mumbai Indians could create, it would be their second win of the season, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at home. Led by a five-fer from Bumrah, RCB were kept down to 196. Mumbai’s batting might then took over from there. Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan added 101 runs inside 9 overs, while Suryakumar Yadav hit a 19-ball fifty that saw MI chase down the target in just over 15 overs.
Positives- A Move That Worked For Mumbai Indians
If you clutch at straws, Tilak Varma in the middle-order might be somewhat of a positive. With three fifties, the youngster built on the reputation he has created for himself. However, in a season of lows, even these contributions were not enough to save them from embarrassment.
Negatives- A Move That Didn’t Work For Mumbai Indians
The decision to bring Hardik Pandya in from Gujarat Titans did not go as planned. The all-rounder struggled to find consistent form with both bat and ball. Additionally, his ascendancy to captaincy disrupted the team’s ecosystem on multiple fronts, leaving Mumbai with more questions than answers at the end of a horrid season.
Mark Boucher on Hardik Pandya’s Performance
Mark Boucher stated that Hardik Pandya would be disappointed with his own performance as both a captain and a player this IPL season, but emphasized that the all-rounder had the full support of the Mumbai Indians dressing room. “I think if he was here, he’d also be disappointed in his performance,” the Mumbai Indians head coach said after the team lost to Lucknow Super Giants, their last IPL game of 2024 at the Wankhede on the night of May 17th.
“From a captain’s perspective, I thought he had some good games. There’s a lot of stuff going on around him that may have clouded his thoughts, which is tough on him as a leader as well. He certainly had a lot of support within our dressing room, and guys were trying to help him out,” the South African said.
“It’s a tough thing to go through as a player, and there was a lot of sympathy for what he was experiencing personally. I think it may be a little uncalled for, and you know, it is what it is. It’ll certainly be a learning curve for Hardik in his growth in leadership.”
Pandya’s appointment as captain of Mumbai Indians before the start of the season was a saga of controversy. There was opposition from the fans and constant reports about dressing room disquiet. As a batsman, he managed an underwhelming 216 runs in 14 games at a lowly average of 18 and took 11 wickets at a none-too-impressive economy rate of 10.75.
“I think a couple of things will pass and they’ll make him a tougher leader, and he’ll certainly grow in the role as well. So I still think there’s some fantastic things coming for Hardik Pandya as a leader. The cricketing side of things, you guys will know the stats,” Boucher noted.
He also addressed the issue of booing that Pandya received from the stands wherever he went. “Yes, it wasn’t great hearing all the boos. I felt sorry for Hardik. It’s never nice to have to go through something like that. Yeah, there’s certain things that we need to address and, as I said, we are going to address them. But now is not probably the right time. Everyone’s very disappointed and emotional, so no good decision will get made.”
Mark Boucher On Rohit Sharma’s Season: A Tale of Two Halves
The coach expressed similar sentiments about Rohit Sharma, who had an average season as a batsman, scoring 417 runs at an average of 32.06 with a strike rate of exactly 150. While he showcased brilliance with a century against Chennai Super Kings, he only managed one other half-century throughout the season. “It’s sort of almost a season of two halves. He started off the season really well, was hitting the ball sweetly in the nets, got a great hundred against CSK as well.”
“So we honestly thought that he was on a great path for us to go out there and get some good runs for us. Unfortunately, you know, it’s just the nature of T20 as well. He went out there trying to be aggressive, which is the new sort of way of playing as an opening batter, and he got a couple of low scores, which unfortunately didn’t help us in that particular situation as well.”
Stars of This Cycle
In the presence of other seasoned performers, some youngsters made their mark over a rather dismal cycle for MI, which augurs well for their future. Youngsters such as Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, and Naman Dhir all proved to be instant successes, continuing the franchise’s tradition of shining the light on Indian domestic stars.
Who Should They Retain Ahead of The 2025 Mega Auction
Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah would be two names penned in any T20 team across the world at the moment. Despite the age factor, the duo would be automatic choices for retention if it were up to Mumbai Indians. For the third possible slot, the likes of Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, and Tilak Varma all offer dual roles that set them apart from the ordinary. The current captain, Hardik Pandya, could lead the way in that pecking order.
*Retention/RTM rules ahead of the mega auction haven’t been finalized by the IPL GC. This is just a hypothetical case.
