by Mumbai Indians are among the best-performing teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). But one label has struck with them: the Rohit Sharma-led side is a slow starter. But are they? If one considers their list of title-winning campaigns, which is 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, you will find that they did lose the first game on all these occasions, but when it comes to having horrendous starts, MI had those just twice. Yes, that’s correct!
It happened in 2015 when they lost the first four matches of the season and yet won the trophy! They had also lost five games on the trot in 2014, but they reached the playoffs that season. It may be the same this season as well and that’s why they are popular among those who are looking for an online betting ID provider for placing bets.
This article will burst the myth of Mumbai Indians being slow starters. Please note that we have considered Mumbai Indians’ campaign from 2013 onwards. That was when Rohit was named skipper. Perhaps, this is the reason Mumbai Indians are one of the most popular teams in IPL Satta Matka.
So, are Mumbai Indians a slow starter?
No, not at all. The five-time champions had only lost five and four games on the trot in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, respectively. If you are hell-bent on calling them a slow starter, these are the only seasons where your argument is valid. However, it is a fact that Mumbai Indians haven’t won their season opener since 2013. But that couldn’t be a reason for calling them a slow starter.
How are Mumbai Indians playing in 2023?
The whole reason we wrote this post is that Mumbai Indians had again fallen on hard times. They had lost their first two opening games this season, which came against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings. They bounced back well with victories over Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders.
So, how are they not a slow starter exactly?
As mentioned above, Mumbai had lost all their opening games but bounced back quite well in 2013, 2019, and 2020. But, in 2015, they made a dreadful start, losing their four games, only to bounce back from nowhere and win the trophy. Only in 2015 did they have a ”slow start.” They started winning after losing the first two games in the rest of the winning campaigns. IPL all team squad 2023 will surely have a number of players from Mumbai.
A lookback at Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2015 campaign
Under Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians lost their first four games against teams like Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Rajasthan Royals, and Chennai Super Kings. Mind you, these were demoralizing defeats, and any team couldn’t have made a comeback, but this was Mumbai – one of the most resilient domestic teams in India.
They beat RCB in the fifth match and lost the next game against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) only to conjure five wins on the trot. This winning run changed the atmosphere in the dressing room, and the 2013 IPL champions started to believe again. They would eventually reach the finals and beat Chennai Super Kings to win their second IPL title.
A lookback at Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2014 campaign
2014 was crucial for the country as the National Elections were scheduled for May. As a result, the tournament was shifted to the UAE. The Arab country hosted the first half, while the business end was in India. In the tournament’s first half, MI would lose five on the trot. Rohit and his men returned home and finally got into the groove. They would win five out of the nine matches they played at home. Nevertheless, they lost to CSK in the Eliminator.
How are the rest of the campaigns different?
Besides 2015, they went on to win the title in 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2020. In all these four campaigns, MI lost the first match but bounced back immediately. In 2013, the Mumbai outfit had a three-match streak. While in 2017, they had notched up a six-match winning streak. They were far from being slow starters. Similarly, in 2019, they lost the first two matches only to win the next three games. Even in 2020, they lost their opener to CSK but won five games in a row after losing their third game.
Conclusion
So, as can be seen, Rohit’s MI is one of the best teams for a reason. They are far from being slow starters. The franchise had only two horrendous starts ever in the history of IPL – the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Moreover, no average team could have made a comeback, let alone become champions. It is the reason why they are a special team. No other team can think of winning from such a precarious position. That’s why in 2022 when Mumbai had lost five games on the trot (they would go on to create a new record by losing eight games), the entire management believed the champion franchise was capable of making a comeback.
