Mumbai Indians dropped to the ninth position in the points table after their 10-run loss against Delhi Capitals on Saturday. Chasing 258, MI faltered in the middle overs. This loss has made it very difficult for the Men in Blue to qualify for the playoffs. Let us discuss some of the reasons why MI are struggling in this season:
Over-Reliance on Bumrah
Bumrah has been the standout performer for Mumbai this season. The fast bowler is the only shining light in the otherwise bleak bowling performance. He is the purple cap holder with 14 wickets in 9 matches at an economy of 6.63. But no other bowler has been able to support him. MI have tried various combinations but have not been able to find counterparts for Bumrah. They have tried overseas superstars in Gerald Coetzee, Luke Wood, Mphaka, Romario Shepherd but none of them have been able to perform consistently.
No Lead Spinner
The Mumbai Management made a huge mistake in the auction itself by not picking a spinner in their squad. MI have relied on the services of Piyush Chawla and on some occasions Mohammad Nabi. They have given very limited opportunities to Shreyas Gopal and Shams Mulani. But all of them have had on and off season without much success. Also the management failed to entrust any of the spinners. They have failed to overs in the middle overs. A spinner is very crucial for a team’s success in any format. The MI spinners have bowled at an economy of 10.66 and just taken 8 wickets.
Batting Inconsistency
The Mumbai Indians batters have been impressive but lacked consistency. Tilak Varma and Rohit Sharma are the top two run scorers with 336 and 311 runs respectively. Kishan is at the third position with 212 runs with a gap of almost 100 runs between him and the second position. But apart from them, no one else has been consistent enough. Also the set batters have been unable to close out the matches. They are failing to bat as a unit with individual performances here and there.
Finishers not clicking
Tim David and Hardik Pandya are the two designated finishers of the MI batting unit. Both have failed to close out at least 3 to 4 matches that could have been won by Mumbai. Captain Hardik Pandya has had a very underwhelming season scoring 197 runs at an underwhelming average of 24. On the other hand, Tim David has scored 182 runs at an average of 30. With both of the star hitters failing, the Mumbai batters have failed to either set a competitive target or chase a target with the bat.
Decline in Hardik Pandya’s form and outside noise
The dashing Indian all rounder was traded to Mumbai at the price of 15 crores from the Gujarat Titans. He was also handed the added responsibility of captaining the side. The new skipper was booed by fans wherever the team travelled. To make this worse, he has not delivered with bat and ball. Hardik Pandya has scored 197 runs at an underwhelming average of 24. With the ball, he has been hammered throughout the season. Pandya has bowled at an economy of 11.95 taking just 4 wickets in the season.
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