Mumbai Indians have an opportunity to do the most Mumbai Indians things ever

Three games, zero wins. It's been another lacklustre start for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season. And to add fuel to the fire, plenty is happening behind the scenes.

The passing of the captaincy baton isn't going as smoothly as the franchise would have liked. Hardik Pandya's return to the franchise and taking over as captain from Rohit Sharma was meant to be a seamless transition. However, it has been anything but.

Rumors of rifts within the camp started to emerge even before a ball was bowled in the tournament, and that hasn't helped the team's morale. The former captain and the new captain not getting along was the simplest headline to conjure for the tabloids. We saw this a couple of seasons ago as well, when Ravindra Jadeja took over the captaincy from MS Dhoni for the Chennai Super Kings.

The so-called rumors may or may not be true, but the fact remains that these transitions are never as easy as they seem, no matter the stature of the player or the team. There is always something more going on behind the scenes that the general public is unaware of. And to make things worse for the Mumbai Indians this season, even some of the MI fans - the so-called loyalists - have also made their displeasure evident.

When their new captain stepped out for the toss at Wankhede Stadium in their first home game this season, there were deafening boos to greet the once-upon-a-time crowd favorite.

The outrage on social media has only added fuel to the fire. So much so that the five-time champions are already being written off this season. And history will tell you, that's a dangerous thing to do. You always write the Mumbai Indians off at your peril. Always.

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Write the Mumbai Indians off at your peril

This isn't the first time the Mumbai Indians have endured a slow start to the season. In fact, the franchise has a history of being slow starters in the tournament. On more than a few occasions, they have managed to turn things around dramatically. So much so that they have now made it a bit of a habit.

The franchise also has a history of forming formidable teams throughout the seasons, stacking up some quality players courtesy of their scouting network. The likes of Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah came into the spotlight through the same system.

The franchise might not have banded together a juggernaut of a unit this season, but there are enough high-quality players in their squad. More importantly, most of these players have enough experience at the highest level. That experience even extends to the dugout with the likes of Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga in coaching roles.

These aforementioned players were a significant part of the MI sides that dramatically managed to turn their seasons around in previous years. Like a band of brothers, they have the experience of moving forward when the going gets tough. And that's precisely what this team needs right now.

The team owners usually take pride in the family culture they've managed to cultivate over the years. While one could argue it's something they only do for the narrative, it's something that has held them in good stead over the years.

It hasn't been the easiest of starts for the team in the IPL once more and it might boil down to how the team comes together and shuts out the outside noise. Rohit Sharma managed to do a wonderful job with it when he was at the helm, making sure the team stuck together despite the ups and downs. In creating such an environment, he had the team playing for him and the badge on most occasions.

As cliche as it might sound, it's these little intangibles that count in the long run. The question is, among all the outside noise, can Hardik Pandya do the same with his Mumbai Indians side? He's shown that he can rally his troops to glory as a leader like he did for the Gujarat Titans. That was a side of outliers though. This Mumbai Indians team is quite the opposite.

As it stands, it appears as if nothing is going right for the five-time champions and things could get sour rather quickly. Sports is a results business after all and it can be ruthless at times.

However, with the experience and quality in their squad, one wouldn't be surprised if the Mumbai Indians don't start turning things around sooner rather than later this season. No one likes losing, especially when in a rut. But sports also teach us that things can turn around rather quickly.

So, there is no guarantee that Hardik Pandya and company will turn things around this season. However, in attempting to do so, they have the chance to do the most Mumbai Indians thing ever.