Twelve years ago, the Mumbai Indians lost their first five matches and languished in the bottom half of the table, only to turn it around and make the playoffs. It happened last season as well—four defeats in the first five games eventually led to a playoff run. But their most stunning turnaround came in 2015, when they lost five of their first six matches before scripting a run to lift the title.
Mumbai Indians have lost four of their first five matches this season. Yet, there wasn’t a sense of deja vu this time, nor were the defeats brushed aside as part of their reputation as slow starters. MI had the elements, but nothing clicked in unison, leaving problems across departments—including Hardik Pandya’s captaincy.
But after a 99-run thrashing of the Gujarat Titans on Monday in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, for the first time this season, looked like the IPL giants they are known to be.
Hardik was euphoric. Hardik was animated. Hardik was beaming. But most importantly, Hardik the captain was back.
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Rather than going searching for early breakthroughs himself, he handed Jasprit Bumrah the new ball—and the India star delivered. A huge sigh of relief followed as Bumrah picked up his first wicket in seven IPL matches, dismissing Sai Sudharsan with the very first ball of GT’s chase. It instilled belief.
Mumbai didn’t take just one, but several “tough” calls. They altered their bowling combination, playing both spinners—AM Ghazanfar and Mitchell Santner—who choked the run flow in the middle overs and denied Gujarat any chance of a Tilak Varma-like surge. They also brought in Ashwani Kumar to support Bumrah, and the left-armer justified the call with a four-wicket haul, including the dismissal of Shubman Gill and triggering a lower-order collapse.
A near-perfect bowling display at Motera brought Mumbai back to life. The win lifted them from the bottom to seventh on the table, sparking discussions around a potential playoff push.
Even the presenter couldn’t resist asking, “Is this that game?”
“Yes,” Hardik replied.
Yet, it may not be,at least not entirely, just yet.
Bowling revival sparks hope, but batting still holds Mumbai Indians back
The win against GT confirmed that Mumbai have addressed their bowling issues. But batting concerns still linger.
The powerplay remains a problem, with Mumbai losing three wickets inside the first six overs. Had it not been for a stabilising half-century from Naman Dhir, MI could have been in deeper trouble. Suryakumar Yadav continues to be a concern, with his returns dipping over the past year. And while Tilak Varma dazzled with a stunning late assault—scoring 82 runs in the final six overs en route to his maiden IPL century—he struggled against spin early on, managing just 19 runs off his first 22 balls.
Mumbai will be relieved, but the batting still needs fixing.
For starters, they should persist with Naman as a powerplay option. They can also consider Sherfane Rutherford as a counter to spin, given his strike rate of 144.2 in the middle overs this season, compared to Tilak’s 84. Tilak could instead combine with Hardik as a designated pace-hitter in the death overs—a role both executed during India’s 2026 T20 World Cup campaign. Tilak boasts a strike rate of 263.8 against pace in slog overs, while Hardik’s stands at 165.