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Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have had a torrid time in the 2022 edition so far. Mumbai have featured in four games, but are yet to get off the mark this season. MI began their IPL 2022 campaign with a four-wicket defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals (DC).
There has not been much improvement in their showing since as they have gone down to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 23 runs, to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by five wickets and, in their most recent game, to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by seven wickets. Mumbai have struggled in both the batting and bowling departments and the results have been a reflection of their underwhelming performances.
IPL 2022: Why Mumbai Indians are not looking good to make the playoffs
These are still early days in the T20 league. However, things are not looking very positive for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022. Here are three reasons why they may end up being eliminated at the league stage itself.
#1 Lack of multi-utility cricketers
A significant reason for Mumbai Indians’ success in the IPL over the years has been the presence of multi-utility cricketers. The trio of Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya often contributed together with the bat, either pushing the franchise towards a strong position or digging them out of a hole. All three were capable of playing game-changing knocks and finding the boundaries with ease.
That’s not all. Pollard and the Pandya brothers contributed significantly for MI on the bowling front as well. All three had something unique to offer - Pollard as the innocuous medium-pacer, Hardik as the nippy fast bowler and Krunal as the underrated yet shrewd left-arm spinner. Following the IPL mega auction, the Mumbai Indians now only have the West Indies all-rounder, who was retained, in their squad. The Pandya brothers were released and are now representing different franchises.
Without support from the other end, Pollard is clearly finding the finishing task a lot more difficult and hasn’t been able to make much of an impact. Suryakumar Yadav came in and hammered brilliant fifties in the last two matches. However, it was more a case of damage control as the franchise did not have any kind of rhythm in their innings.
#2 Overdependence on Bumrah in pace department
This is a massive minus for the Mumbai Indians in the bowling department. From what has been on show so far, it seems like Jasprit Bumrah will have to single-handedly carry the responsibility of the pace attack. With his reliable bowling partner Trent Boult moving to the Rajasthan Royals, MI do not have any other match-winning fast bowlers in their ranks. The one who was picked at the auction (Jofra Archer) is not available for this IPL season.
If we take a closer look at MI’s pace bowling stock for IPL 2022, there is no one who can be termed a worthy partner for Bumrah. Australia’s bowling all-rounder Daniel Sams played the first three matches but had unimpressive returns of 0/57, 0/32 and 1/50. In the match against KKR, he leaked 35 runs in one over as Pat Cummins took him to the cleaners.
Basil Thampi returned with figures of three for 35 in Mumbai Indians’ opening encounter against Delhi. But in the subsequent three matches, he has not claimed a single wicket. MI brought in left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat for the match against RCB. He was economical but never looked threatening. It looks difficult for the former IPL champions to make a significant impact with such a weak pace attack.
#3 No quality spinner
Every good IPL side, more often than not, possesses a wicket-taking spinner. The story is the same this season as well. Kolkata have Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, who are proven performers in the tournament. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have obtained the services of Ravi Bishnoi, who is making a big impact, while Delhi Capitals (DC) have Kuldeep Yadav, who has already put in a couple of match-winning performances. Gujarat Titans (GT) picked Rashid Khan from the pre-auction draft.
In recent seasons, the Mumbai Indians too have had a good wicket-taking option in the form of leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. While he may not yet be in the same league as some of the big names mentioned above, he definitely did a fine job for the franchise, breaking partnerships and picking up crucial wickets. Mumbai needed someone similar after releasing the youngster ahead of the auction.
They have been banking on leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin to do the job this season. The 31-year-old, who is a reasonably experienced T20 cricketer, began the edition with an excellent spell of two for 14 against Delhi. He also claimed a couple of scalps against Kolkata. With all due respect to the Tamil Nadu cricketer, though, he lacks the X factor and zip that some of the other spinners possess in IPL 2022.
IPL 2022: Can individual brilliance pull Mumbai Indians through?
Looking at the current squad, the only way MI might go on to win the title is on the basis of some individual brilliance.
#1 Ishan and Surya need to put up a stellar show
Ishan Kishan began IPL 2022 in impressive fashion with two fifties. But in the last couple of matches he hasn’t been able to do much. Everyone is aware of Ishan’s incredible talent. If he can live up to expectations and prove worthy of his ₹15.25 crore tag, there is still hope for Mumbai.
Along with Ishan, Suryakumar also needs to have a stellar season. He has begun in fine fashion with two half-centuries and is looking in great form. However, considering the weak middle and lower order, he will have to come up with something incredible in most matches.
Click here for the latest IPL live score 2022 and news updates.
#2 Bumrah must single-handedly win games with ball
Jasprit Bumrah is single-handedly carrying Mumbai’s pace attack. Pic: IPLT20.COM
It is a fact that the Mumbai Indians do not have the bowling attack to trouble opponents in IPL 2022. As mentioned earlier, they will be heavily reliant on spearhead Bumrah to deliver the goods with the ball.
However, if MI is to win the title for the sixth time and join the IPL winners' list, Bumrah will need to put in extraordinary performances and outperform his opponents.It sounds a bit impractical, but that’s how bad things have been for the Mumbai Indians this season.
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