Mumbai Indians (MI) had a torrid campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and finished with the wooden spoon. Their momentum was stymied with the fans largely being against the team because of the leadership haul before the season.
Hardik Pandya, who had a fantastic record as captain in the IPL ahead of this season, failed to conjure magic at his original franchise, where he was part of 4 title-winning teams. Mumbai Indians, overall, had their worst season as it wasn’t just the poor cricket on the field; it was also a ton of off-field issues that was plaguing the Mumbai side.
With just 4 wins in 14 games, Mumbai Indians finished at the bottom of the table and they need to go back to the drawing board and fix their sinking ship.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why Mumbai Indians got eliminated from IPL 2024:
1. Captaincy overhaul
One of the main reasons why Mumbai Indians had a forgettable IPL season was the uneasy atmosphere revolving around the entire team. 5-time IPL winning captain Rohit Sharma was unceremoniously removed as the skipper and it did not sit down well with the die-hard supporters of this franchise.
Hardik Pandya, the new captain of Mumbai, was constantly booed across all the stadiums in India and it did play a big role in the team’s fortunes. Pandya wasn’t at his imperious best and he wasn’t able to manage a team full of stars.
2. Misfiring top-order
Mumbai Indians’ biggest strength has always been their strong and formidable top-order. But the glittering top-order failed to live up to their expectations and as a result, Mumbai failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Rohit Sharma once again had a decent IPL season and scored 417 runs and finished as the leading run-scorer of Mumbai Indians. Surya Kumar Yadav had a forgettable season as he scored just 345 runs at an average of 34.50. Ishan Kishan too couldn’t give the fiery starts in the powerplay.
3. Overdependence on Jasprit Bumrah
The entire bowling department of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 revolved around star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and none of the other bowlers delivered the goods with the ball as was expected of them.
Nuwan Thusara did show some glimpses but it was largely the Indian pacer who was shepherding the troops and performing. Overdependence on a single bowler always backfires and Mumbai Indians’ dismal campaign in IPL 2024 is a classic example of this.
Also read: IPL 2024: 3 Reasons Why Gujarat Titans Got Eliminated
