IPL 2018: 5 reasons why Mumbai Indians can make it to the playoffs easily

Mumbai Indians, the defending champions, did not get the start that they wished for, winning just one match out of four. In their first three outings, MI ended on the wrong side of the finish line in three last ball/wicket matches.

In the fourth match, they put on a good performance with the bat and ball and ensured themselves a comfortable win against RCB.

*All the statistics are till MI's match against RCB*

Here are the reasons why Mumbai Indians can easily reach the playoffs:

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#5 Good death bowling options

Jasprit Bumrah (Source: BCCI)

Mumbai Indians have two of the world's best death bowlers in their ranks - Jasprit Bumrah and Mustafizur Rahman. They are ably aided by Mitchell McClenaghan and Hardik Pandya in the fast bowling department. In the four matches, both Bumrah and Fizz have taken five wickets each.

Both bowlers have had their share of bad days in the tournament so far, but they have the ability to change the outcome of a match on their own. Bumrah had a bad day against CSK in their first match as he ended with the figures of 4-0-37-1, but his figures in the other three matches were exceptional, 12-0-87-4.

Mustafizur bowled badly on two occasions, but in the other two matches, his combined figures were 8-0-47-4.

Having two world-class bowlers who can bowl upfront and at the death is an asset to any team. Mumbai would hope that the two will fire in most matches with the support of McClenaghan and Pandya.

#4 Efficient spin bowling combo

Mayank Markande (Source: BCCI)

Mayank Markande has been the find of the season so far. He, along with Krunal Pandya, form a very efficient spin bowling duo. The duo are the bowlers with the best economy rates in Mumbai Indians bowling setup.

Markande has picked up the highest number of wickets till now and is a definite contender for the purple cap. He has picked up eight wickets in 4 matches and his strike rate of 11.25 is the best in the tournament for a bowler who has bowled more than 10 overs.

Krunal Pandya has also been effective with the ball but wasn't given the chance to bowl his full quota of overs, except for one game against RCB. In total, he has bowled 9 overs and picked up 5 wickets and has a strike rate of 10.80.

Expect Krunal to have more of a say with the ball in the matches to come. The two spin twins are good at curtailing the run flow in the middle overs and can definitely chip away wickets at regular intervals.

#3 Destructive middle order

Hardik Pandya (Source: BCCI)

Mumbai Indians have a lot of firepower in their arsenal. The fiery openers are followed by the young Ishan Kishan and the captain Rohit Sharma. Both have the ability to score quicks runs and have been openers at some point or other, which will be helpful in case an early wicket falls.

The lower middle order is filled with very dangerous batsmen who boast of high strike rates. Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya form a formidable combination down the order as the three all-rounders have the ability to hit the ball a long way.

These three batsmen are in the top 5 list of players with highest strike rates playing for Mumbai Indians. Krunal Pandya is leading the pack with a career strike rate of 157.42. He is followed by Buttler and Pollard who have 145+ strike rates. Hardik Pandya is in fifth position, just behind Sanath Jayasuriya, with a strike rate of 142.81.

In the present Mumbai team, Krunal Pandya also has the highest average of 35.12 playing for Mumbai. The Pandya brothers are key to Mumbai's success both with the bat and the ball.

#2 In-form openers

Evin Lewis (Source: BCCI)

The new opening combination of Suryakumar Yadav and Evin Lewis has worked well for the Mumbai Indians in their third match. They together put a hundred run partnership in 9 overs and helped Mumbai reach 194. In spite of a failure in the next match, Mumbai will look to continue the same combination at the top.

Surya Kumar Yadav has been in good form and has scored 124 runs in four matches with a strike rate of 133.33. He scored a half-century as an opener in the third match. Him batting along with Evin Lewis will also give Mumbai a right-left combination at the top.

After his failure in the first IPL match, Evin Lewis is looking to make a name for himself the world's most prestigious T20 league. Lewis is the highest run-getter for Mumbai Indians with 142 runs from four matches, at a strike rate of 159.55. With Lewis and Yadav firing at the top, Mumbai Indians can go a long way in the tournament.

#1 Rohit coming back to form

Rohit Sharma (Source: BCCI)

Over the years, the success of Mumbai Indians has been an outcome of Rohit Sharma's captaincy and batting. The MI captain is the leading run scorer for the Mumbai-based franchise and has scored a total of 3175 runs in 114 innings averaging 33.42. Ever since he joined the franchise, he scored 300+ runs in each and every season. He also scored 26 half-century plus scores for them, his highest score being 109*.

His performance is key to the position of Mumbai Indians on the points table. After scoring just 44 runs in the first three innings, Rohit replied with an unbeaten 94 as he helped his side register their first win of the season.

With all these factors favouring Mumbai Indians' ascendency, one can say that they will easily reach the playoffs if they perform up to their true potential.