Mumbai Indians crawl before they learn to walk in most IPL seasons. In 2015, they lost the first four matches but went on to lift the title. In 2014, they lost the first five and still qualified for the playoffs. In each of the five seasons they’ve won the title, they did not win the opening match – their last tournament opener win was in 2012.
This time, they have lost three in a row and are searching for their first win as they go up against Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. So, MI will take any positives they can find, most certainly from the return of Suryakumar Yadav after undergoing sports hernia surgery.
It’s not just the three successive defeats, the lack of impact from any of their players has been more worrying. There’s been only one fifty, from Tilak Varma in the runathon against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The three wickets by Akash Madhwal and Jasprit Bumrah place them 28th in the wicket-takers’ list of the season.
MI’s starting troubles are compounded by the visible unease in the squad around their captaincy transition. Hardik Pandya’s homecoming has been anything but sweet with him being roundly booed at three different venues – Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Mumbai. In the last match at home, Pandya was constantly jeered even while his predecessor Rohit Sharma tried to calm the fans.
Crowd management will be less of an issue on Sunday as most of the stands will be occupied by underprivileged school students as this is MI’s annual social initiative match.
The fan backlash to Pandya taking over from Rohit while the latter still leads India has been so harsh that all the big names among the players and coaching staff have avoided media interaction. Newcomer Naman Dhir, who is likely to sit out to make space for Yadav, was sent for the pre-match media conference. “I don’t know. I will prepare for the next game,” Dhir said when asked about his expected role.
On Saturday, Pandya swung his bat hard in the nets against throw-down experts, having scored a previous 21-ball 34 in the previous game, where Rajasthan Royals chased down a modest total.
“I don’t think they (crowd) should boo Hardik. It’s not correct,” Sourav Ganguly, DC’s director of cricket, said on Saturday.
“The franchisee has appointed him captain. That’s what happens in sport. Whether you captain India or a state or your franchise. Obviously, with Rohit Sharma, he’s a different class. His performance for this franchise, his performance for India has been at a different level, as captain and as a player. But then it’s not Hardik’s fault that he’s been appointed captain. All of us need to understand that.”
Mitch Marsh injured
Capitals too are struggling. They lie ninth, only slot above the bottom-placed MI after one win in four matches. They are plagued with several injury concerns. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has missed two matches due to a groin injury. Although he underwent a fitness test on Saturday, Kuldeep remains a doubtful starter. Pacer Mukesh Sharma too underwent a fitness test for a niggle.
Australia T20 captain and DC’s top order batter Mitch Marsh, Ganguly revealed, is also out injured. Marsh, a team official said, will be “out of action for two weeks” due to the injury suffered in the last match. It could potentially open an opportunity for hard-hitting Australian batter Jake Fraser McGurk.
‘Pant fully fit’
Speaking on Rishabh Pant’s T20 World Cup chances, Ganguly was optimistic. “I will let a few more matches go (before passing judgement). He is doing very well…you know, keeping, batting. So, he has held up well,” he said. “And his form is fantastic, especially the way he has batted in the last two games. So, let another week go, provided the selectors want to pick him. That is the most important thing.”
