Mumbai Indians

Introduction to Mumbai Indians (MI):

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a Twenty20 cricket format that has revolutionised how the game is played, watched, and marketed. Mumbai Indians is one of the professional franchises that has competed in the IPL since its inception in 2008.

Mumbai Indians, the most expensive team in the IPL, was purchased for Rs 487 crore (US$112 million) by Indiawin Sports, a 100% subsidiary of Reliance Industries.

Overview Of Mumbai Indians

The Mumbai Indians team is regarded as a powerhouse squad, boasting a strong batting order, great bowling, and flawless fielding abilities. They have a long history of delivering dependable and engaging performances.

Wankhede Stadium is the team's home ground, and the players wear a blue and gold jersey with a Sudarshan Chakra. They have a large fan base among cricket enthusiasts. The team also participates in a variety of social initiatives and community service.

Team History

Since their inaugural season in 2008, the Mumbai Indians have experienced both highs and lows. The following is a year-by-year breakdown of how the team has evolved into one of the tournament's most powerful teams.

Season 1: 2008

The team did not have a good start to the IPL tournament, with top player and captain Sachin Tendulkar sustaining a groin injury. Harbhajan Singh took over as captain but failed to deliver, with the squad losing its first four league matches. 

The Mumbai Indians failed to advance to the playoffs, finishing sixth out of eight teams.

Seasons 2 and 3: 2009 and 2010

In the second season, held in South Africa, the team's reliance on its star players cost them badly, as the team only won five of fourteen games. It finished sixth on the table.

However, Mumbai Indians recovered from the previous season’s setback and finished second in 2010.

 Seasons 4 and 5: 2011 and 2012

In 2011, Rohit Sharma was selected to play for the Mumbai Indians team. Tendulkar's century and a fine bowling display could not aid them in the final qualifiers, as they lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore and finished third in the points table.

In 2012, Tendulkar stepped down as captain and the Mumbai Indians finished third in the table.

Seasons 6 and 7: 2013 and 2014

Season 6 was bittersweet for the Mumbai Indians, as they finally won the IPL under Rohit Sharma, but the legend Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement.

Season 7 was yet another poor season, with five consecutive losses in league games, resulting in the team finishing fourth.

Season 8: 2015

Mumbai Indians came back from four straight league match losses to win the next nine of ten matches and beat Chennai Super Kings in the final to register their second title win.

Seasons 9 and 10: 2016 and 2017

Mumbai Indians raised their game in Season 10 after failing to even qualify for playoffs in Season 9 and became champions with a last-ball win against Pune Super Giants.

Seasons 11, 12, and 13: 2018, 2019 and 2020

Mumbai Indians ended up fifth in the year 2018 but clinched their fourth title in the year 2019 with a one-ball win against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings.

In 2020, Mumbai Indians dominated the game all the way and claimed their fifth title win.

Seasons 14 and 15: 2021 and 2022

Mumbai Indians were fifth in the year 2021 but followed it up with their worst performance ever in the year 2022 with the team managing only four wins.

Season 16: 2023

Though the team did not have a great start, they managed to finish third with great performances from some of the key players.

Achievements And Trophies

Mumbai Indians have won the IPL five times: in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. The Mumbai Indians have numerous other accomplishments and trophies to their name.

Sachin Tendulkar was named man of the series, most valuable player, and orange cap winner in 2010 after scoring 618 runs during the season. Lasith Malinga was given the purple cap for taking the most wickets in 2011. Sanath Jayasuriya and Ishan Kisen earned the trophy for most sixes in 2008 and 2020, respectively.

The team received the Fair Play award in both 2018 and 2020. In 2017, the Mumbai Indians became the first team to surpass $100 million in brand value, and they remained the highest for four years in a row.

Mumbai Indians- Squad List

For IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians Team squad list is as follows:

Coach: Mark Boucher

Captain: Hardik Pandya

Vice-Captain:  Jasprit Bumrah

Mumbai Indians – Player Profiles

Hardik Pandya

The captain and right-hand all-rounder is back with the Mumbai Indians team after two years. He often uses his right arm medium-fast bowling skills to the team’s advantage.

His IPL stats are impressive with 2309 runs in 123 matches at a strike rate of 145.86. He also has 53 wickets in 81 innings.

Rohit Sharma

A star player, fondly known as the “hitman” amongst his fans for his impressive display of batting skills in 243 IPL matches. He has amassed 6211 runs which includes 42 half-centuries and a century at a strike rate of 130.04.

Sharma's occasional off-break bowling has earned him 15 IPL scalps.

Akash Madhwal

The right-arm fast bowler is a recent addition to the Mumbai Indians and has fourteen wickets from eight innings.

Arjun Tendulkar

The son of the celebrated cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is a left-handed all-rounder and has three wickets from the four innings he has played.

Dewald Brevis

The young South African has 161 runs and a wicket under his belt.

Ishan Kishen

The wicket-keeper batsman has an explosive style and has played 91 matches for Mumbai Indians, scoring 2324 runs at a strike rate of 134.25.

Jason Behrendorff

The Australian left-arm fast bowler has 19 wickets from 17 innings at a 19.26 strike rate. 

Jasprit Bumrah

A right-arm fast bowler who has been with Mumbai Indians from the start, Bumrah has a whopping 145 wickets from the 120 innings he has bowled.

Kumar Karthikeya

The left-arm orthodox spinner is famous for his bowling exploits and has 10 wickets from the 12 innings he has played.

Mohd. Nabi

A right-handed batsman and former captain of the Afghanistan national team, Nabi also excels as a bowler and fielder.  

Nehal Wadhera

The left-handed middle-order batsman has 241 runs from 14 matches at a strike rate of 145.18.

Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla, an Indian leg spin bowler, is known for his tricky deliveries and also makes valuable contributions with the bat. 

Romario Shepherd

An impressive all-rounder from the West Indies who is a wonderful addition to the team.

Shreyas Gopal

A technically sound batsman who has returned to the team with a lot of experience.

Suryakumar Yadav

A prolific run-scorer with 3249 runs to his name, Yadav possesses immense potential in the realm of batting.

Tilak Varma

One of the promising young talents in the squad.

Tim David

The Singapore-based cricketer is a hard hitter and has 418 runs from 25 matches.

Vishnu Vinod

The versatile wicketkeeper has 56 runs to his credit.

Anshul Kamboj, Dilshan Madhushanka, Gerald William Coetzee, Naman Dhir, Shams Mulani, Shivalik Sharma and Nuwan Thushara are yet to play their first match in the IPL.

Conclusion

Mumbai Indians as a team have recovered well from their initial struggles and have now become a strong contender for the IPL title every year.

With a revamped lineup under fresh leadership, they are poised to leverage their strengths and maintain their impressive performance in 2024.