It all boiled down to the last match for Mumbai Indians. And, it all came down to Net Run Rate (NRR). Despite finishing with a similar victory – seven – to Kolkata Knight Riders after dominating Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday night in Abu Dhabi, the defending champions went out of the top four. MI was a nearly impossible obstacle to overcome. He tried his best, but the entertainment he gave to the fans was not enough. MI finished fifth in the points table with an NRR of 0.116, which is less than KKR’s 0.587.
Mumbai fans may find it difficult to accept that the five-time IPL title winners, led by Rohit Sharma, have not made it to the playoffs in the 14th edition. It’s like the 1970s and 1980s when the world-dominated West Indies team didn’t win a World Cup final, or for that matter Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings didn’t win IPL or Champions League opening titles. year of the tournament. Such a legacy has been created by the Mumbai Indians franchise that they are expected to win every time they field. Supporters will not believe anything less. And, MI has shown that over the years the kind of players they have produced and the leadership groups that support their players.
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But, this is T20 cricket and its format is unpredictable. It is the team that performs well on that particular day and consistently during a tournament, that will emerge victorious. A single over, a single delivery, a hard hit, a catch or a run out can change the course of an entire day. The T20 format is such that you can dominate the first 39 overs of a match and still lose, as Punjab Kings did with Rajasthan Royals long ago. Remember Kartik Tyagi in the last over?
For the reputation that MI has earned over the years, every team plays in its ‘A’ game against the most successful team (in terms of number of matches won) in IPL history. Other teams have also shown improvement over the years. But, this does not equate to the end of Mumbai’s dominance in the Ranji Trophy, as other teams have gotten better or West Indies cricket to collapse. Mi will definitely be back.
Mumbai Indians, perhaps, were affected by the break in rhythm after a gap of four and a half months between the first and second leg due to the pandemic. While it is not fair to blame this gap for MI not progressing to the playoffs, it has certainly worked to their loss, just as it has worked in favor of some other teams. Assembling a massive squad of 40 including support staff and getting them into a winning mindset is not an easy task, especially in this bio-bubble era. When playing most of the cricket, whether for their respective countries or for their franchises in local leagues during the interval, the appearance of MI’s players was indifferent.
Did not convert captain Rohit Sharma’s start into a big score. Ishan Kishan did well in his last two innings, but in his immediate outings after T20 World Cup selection, he did not live up to the expectations. Same with Suryakumar, forcing experts to call for his replacement in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup.
So much was also being said about leg-spinner Rahul Chahar’s lack of form that he had to miss the playing 11 in the last few MI matches after he roared with 11 wickets on Indian soil before breaking his momentum at the break. was also taken out. . His replacement for the all-rounder’s spot has also been suggested after Hardik Pandya’s inconsistency.
Hardik was playing purely as a batsman at the start of the year after undergoing surgery on his back late last year. He was bowling slowly in the IPL and it was not easy for him to live up to the words of chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma that he would bowl the full quota of four overs in every T20 World Cup match. But, he is slowly getting there and MI is managing his workload, like other India players in his squad.
Firstly, such discussions of the wanted players already selected in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup, which had to be changed on the basis of form, were unnecessary. This could be a good sign for the Indian team that the players’ form fell during the IPL and not the World Cup. The fall in form will act as a more motivating factor for players to reach the pinnacle during global tournaments. As they say, peaking at the right time.
Former India left-arm spinner and national selector, Venkatapathy Raju told news18.com, “As it is, the Indian team has been selected. It is our duty to support it. Just because a player’s form is falling in the IPL, it doesn’t mean that he is not good for international cricket. International cricket is a completely different cup of tea. It is the duty of the selectors nominated by the BCCI to pick the teams, and they have done so. They have selected teams on the basis of consistent performance of the players. Meanwhile, there will be ups and downs in the performances.”
Former Mumbai batting legend, Amol Majumdar told this website that it was “a bit disappointing” to not see Mumbai Indians in the playoffs. He added: “Also, at times, if you look at it, Kieron Pollard didn’t live up to his high standards. With Kieron Pollard, you can expect him to win two or three games out of 14 for MI alone. He did it in just one game (87 runs in 34 balls not out against CSK in Delhi. Normally it is two or three such knocks. Thus, MI win percentage has come down. Kunal Pandya also in this IPL. Wasn’t up to his mark. With his left arm spin and bat he didn’t perform at the level that was expected from him. Hardik Pandya is being seen as an all-rounder. Some of the firing from Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav Frustrated. It’s a tough one. Sometimes you prepare too much as a team. Nowadays, the weather is such that you have to peak at just the right time. There are so many games that there’s something in the tank for the end When MI went to UAE, he probably had exhausted his ammunition.”
Muzumdar, who was Rajasthan Royals’ batting coach for three years before taking over as the coach of the Mumbai team earlier this year, rubbished Raju on unnecessary discussions about replacing players in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup. echoed the sentiments of
“Once the Indian team is announced, that’s it. There would be such loose talk of players going through a weak phase and wanting to be changed. The same people would support Suryakumar Yadav or Ishan Kishan if he scored 50 off 25 balls or 50 off 19 balls. T20 is an unpredictable game. I liked what Rohit Sharma said about Ishan Kishan in his post-match presentation about the need to identify the right batting position for Ishaan. That’s the key.”
For the record, six of the 15 players chosen for the World Cup to begin in 10 days’ time in the UAE are from Mumbai Indians – Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar and Hardik Pandya.
MI won four of their seven matches in the first leg in India in April-May and resumed the UAE leg with three straight losses which did not help them for long. That they managed to stay in the hunt by winning big in their last two league matches showed their ability to bounce back from any position. Just that they came a little late.
IPL is kind of a love-hate affair between Mumbai Indians and UAE. They had a disappointing performance in 2014, losing all five of their matches and winning enough matches to qualify for the playoffs before regaining winning form after returning to their fort at the Wankhede Stadium. He won his fifth title in the UAE in 2020, breaking the streak of only winning in odd years. However, this time there is no return to his fort. It is only next year that MI, with a fresh look, want to go back to their title-winning ways.
Until then, let’s enjoy the performance of the other team. As Muzumdar put it: “T20 is an unpredictable format. It’s disappointing as far as Mi is concerned, it opens the door for others, giving them an opportunity to win. Let’s say, for teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore, who never won an IPL title, or KKR, who won the second of their two titles in 2014.
One thing is guaranteed. MI will return in style in the next IPL. He’s done it over and over again.
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