One of the running jokes of the IPL over its 18 seasons is that the Mumbai Indians are like a diesel engine; they are slow to start, but once they are in form, they do well. This usually takes them to like the end of the season in May before it hits them that they need to do something.
Bumrah is a great player. However, he cannot on his own fix the mess that is the Mumbai Indians team. In the last three matches out of four, for instance, their opening partnership did not cross into the third over. Other than Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai Indians are not doing a half-decent job with their batting order.
Naman Dhir, for instance, cost the team a fortune. He did a good job last time around. However, in 2025 he is a burden on the team. He managed a terrible score of 24 off 46 balls. This would be a bad rate in test cricket. He is pulling this off in a 20-over format. That too against the Lucknow Super Giants who themselves seem out of luck most of the time.
Now Suryakumar Yadav has been in decent form, and for the Mumbai Indians his performance has been something of a consolation. Hardik Pandya has also not been living up to his name this season. There are serious concerns about the performance of the Mumbai Indians in their lower order.
Their lead coach did not seem too concerned, though “I want to be more flexible with the batting order given where we are and the talent and skill we have,” he said in Mumbai a few days ago. “As long as we have productivity from those guys in different positions, it will give us an advantage going forward.”
Mumbai Indians’ opponents on Monday, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, are one of the form sides thus far into this season. They are coming off a defeat to to Gujarat Titans at home. However, have won both their other games. That run has included a win at Chepauk for the first time since 2008. RCB have beaten MI only three times at the Wankhede, and haven’t done so even once during the past decade or so. With a unit in strong starting-season form, with four of their players having already hit half-centuries, this could be their greatest chance of ending that run.
Quotes
“The modern-day [cricket] is so tactical. We keep changing line-ups to match certain bowling line-ups. I don’t see how different [retiring a batter out] is. As a batsman, I have had times when I struggle to get through. [Tilak] batted well for us in the three games, built partnerships, and got us to situations we needed to. I still value that. He was trying and wasn’t able to get going, so I felt I decided to throw someone else to get those two hits.”
MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene explains his decision to retire Tilak Varma against LSG
“Rajat is aggressive, and he backs himself to play his role. I watch these guys bat during the game, and I love watching them bat. He’s very calm as a captain. He seems well-planned with his decisions and he’s building on a great environment in this team, so it’s great fun to be a part of.”
Tim David on RCB captain Rajat Patidar
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