Last year's Indian Premier League champions, Mumbai Indians , have had something of a stuttering start to IPL 7...
IPL 2014: Reasons Why the Mumbai Indians Are Struggling
Apr 20, 2014
Mumbai Indians Rohit Sharma, looks up after the ball hit his wicket against Yorkshire during the Champions League Twenty20 in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Oct 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
Mumbai Indians won their first IPL title in 2013 but they have struggled to get going in the opening games in this year’s tournament. Following the 2014 IPL auction, Mumbai’s batting unit now appears weaker than the one that faced Chennai in last year’s final.
Firstly, the Mumbai Indians have so far struggled to replace the now retired Sachin Tendulkar. A legend of the game, Tendulkar’s experience was vital at the top of the order last year. Signing Mike Hussey, the top run scorer in IPL 2013, is a conscious effort to solve this problem. However, the Australian has played limited cricket and takes up another valuable overseas spot which affects the overall balance of the side.
Hussey is a like for like replacement for Tendulkar but this leaves Mumbai lacking a big hitter at the top for the powerplay overs. Last year Dwayne Smith filled this role but he went to Chennai in the auction. Relying on the inexperienced Aditya Tare to fulfil this position heaps pressure onto Mike Hussey, preventing him from adequately anchoring the innings.
The Mumbai batting problems have been exacerbated by strange batting order decisions. Rohit Sharma opens in T20 cricket for India but for some reason has been hidden down the order at No. 4 for Mumbai this season. He needs to come up to at least No. 3 to face more balls and to take some responsibility as captain of this side.
The biggest blow to Mumbai has been the loss of Dinesh Karthik to the Delhi Daredevils. Karthik scored over 500 IPL runs last year and was the cornerstone of the Mumbai Indians side. He provided runs in times of trouble in 2013 and Mumbai look an Indian batsman short without him.
The loss of Karthik has upset the balance of the Mumbai side, forcing Ambati Rayudu to come in earlier than last season. Rayudu was a destructive finisher alongside Kieron Pollard last year, giving depth to the Mumbai batting order. With rusty all-rounders Pollard and Corey Anderson returning from injury, there is a lot of pressure on Rayudu to make runs.
The weakness of the Mumbai batting line-up means that their line up is an inflexible one. Ben Dunk seems to be their only batting alternative and with all the overseas spots filled there seems to be little room for manoeuvre. Mumbai Indians would like to include in-form bowler Krishmar Santokie but with the batsmen struggling they cannot afford to include another specialist bowler. With Harbhajan Singh at 7, the Mumbai tail is a long one.
Despite retaining the maximum five players, Mumbai have lost some key assets in the 2014 auction. Dinesh Karthik and Dwayne Smith were pivotal performers last year and will be sorely missed this time around. Add that to Tendulkar’s retirement and it is clear that the Mumbai batting unit is not the same dominant force of 2013.
Mumbai Indians Squad Appears Incapable of Retaining IPL Title
Apr 19, 2014
Mumbai Indians' batsman Kieron Pollard bats during the Champions League Twenty20 cricket match against Cape Cobras in Bangalore, India, Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Mumbai Indians plunged to their second consecutive defeat in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League on Saturday, losing to the Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Not only have Mumbai lost both the games they've played in this season so far, but they have lost by huge margins. The loss to RCB follows their defeat by 41 runs at the hands of the Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday.
Both losses have exposed the frailty of the defending champions, which at the moment appears incapable of lifting the trophy for a second time.
Mumbai were one of the three teams to retain their full quota of five players before this season's auction. The players retained were captain Rohit Sharma, Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu, who basically formed the nucleus of the squad that won their maiden title last year.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - OCTOBER 14: Sachin Tendulkar of Mumbai drives straight during the Karbonn Smart CLT20 match between bizhub Highveld Lions and Mumbai Indians at Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on October 14, 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Pho
However, in the process, Mumbai lost both their quality openers in Sachin Tendulkar (retirement) and Dwayne Smith (bought by Chennai Super Kings), the second-highest run-scorer in the squad last season in Dinesh Karthik (bought by Delhi Daredevils), a prolific strike bowler in Mitchell Johnson (bought by Kings XI Punjab) and a million-dollar all-rounder in Glenn Maxwell (also bought by Punjab).
While Mumbai replaced Johnson with Zaheer Khan and purchased Michael Hussey to fill in one of the openers' spots, the new batting line-up never exuded the same robustness as before, especially the top three positions. Not only is a second reliable opening batsman missing, but the very important No. 3 position is also being filled in by Ambati Rayudu, who usually bats lower down the order.
On paper, Mumbai's batting consists of Hussey, last season's leading run-scorer across all teams, Sharma, Mumbai's leading run-scorer last season, and the destructive Kieron Pollard, who has the ability to single-handedly win games for his team.
However, what seems to be lacking this season is the cohesiveness with which their batsmen operated earlier. If the openers failed, there was always Karthik and Sharma to cover up. If they needed a quick 50-60 runs in the last five overs, Pollard was always willing to step in.
One can judge from the two matches Mumbai have played so far that they are still settling in to their rejigged squad. They appear to be lacking in confidence and also don't seem to have a game plan with respect to their batting.
Mumbai do not bat deep; their batting ends at No. 6 with Corey Anderson. The case wasn't very different last season, but it didn't matter because their top six got the job done more often than not.
Mumbai Indians will be without the services of bowling spearhead Lasith Malinga in the latter stages of the tournament.
The team has a reasonably strong bowling line-up, with the likes of Lasith Malinga, Zaheer, Harbhajan and Pragyan Ojha. But they cannot expect to rely on their bowling to win them games all the time.
What's more, Malinga, their bowling spearhead, is due to leave for the United Kingdom with the Sri Lankan limited-overs team in the first week of May, which means he would be unavailable for at least eight games in the latter stages of the tournament.
The replacements available in the squad for Malinga are West Indian Krishmar Santokie, Australia's Josh Hazlewood and South Africa's Marchant de Lange, who are all inexperienced and clearly not in the same league as the Sri Lankan.
Mumbai have always made the right kind of headlines regarding their squad selection since this tournament began six years ago. They are billed as one of the heavyweights and have appeared in two finals so far. However, this current bunch of players have a long way to go before they can think of retaining their title.
One of the first things their batsmen can do is drop the laissez-faire attitude and take the onus upon themselves. This is an area where team icon Sachin Tendulkar and mentor Anil Kumble could step in, both having been vastly experienced and successful international players.
All is not lost for Mumbai yet. Twelve league games still remain, which are more than enough to spark a turnaround. However, Mumbai would be aiming to end their United Arab Emirates sojourn on a positive note by winning the three games left to be played in the country before flying back to familiar surroundings and conditions in India.
After a moderate first couple of years in the IPL, the Mumbai Indians have grown into one of the tournament's powerhouse teams, culminating in winning their first-ever title last season...
CLT20 Semifinal: Trinidad and Tobago vs. Mumbai Indians Scorecard, Recap, More
Oct 5, 2013
Mumbai Indians set up an all-IPL final of the Champions League Twenty20 by beating Trinidad and Tobago by six wickets in Delhi.
The Caribbean side were put in to bat by Mumbai, and they mustered 153 for five from their 20 overs.
Evin Lewis continued his impressive tournament with a 46-ball 62, and he was supported by an unbeaten 41 from Yannick Ottley.
The bowling attack, however, could not contain Mumbai, who were always on pace to reach the score, despite the best efforts of Sunil Narine.
The opening batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Dwayne Smith piled on 90 in the first 11 overs to break the back of the score. Despite a late wobble instigated by Narine, who took three wickets for 17 runs in his four overs, they had enough to reach their target.
Dinesh Karthik clattered the winning runs with a six.
The Mumbai Indians meet Rajasthan Royals in the final—when the pair met in their group game earlier in the tournament, the Royals scooped up a victory by seven wickets and will fancy their chances of repeating the feat.
CLT20: Mumbai Indians vs. Perth Scorchers Scorecard, Recap and More
Oct 2, 2013
The Mumbai Indians broke Otago's hearts at the Champions League T20, winning heavily against the Perth Scorchers to leapfrog the New Zealand side and take second place in the group, and with it a spot in the semi-finals.
It means three IPL sides will contest the last four, with Chennai Super Kings topping Group B, and Rajasthan Royals joining Mumbai from Group A.
Mumbai needed a big victory—once Perth had set 149 for six wickets from their 20 overs they had to chase the runs down in just 14.2 overs to improve their run rate sufficiently—and they made it with an over to spare.
Perth had a 32-ball unbeaten 51 from Sam Whiteman to thank for giving them someone remotely defendable, but despite the early loss of the out-of-form Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai coasted.
Dwayne Smith crunched 48 in 25 balls, and Rohit Sharma smashed 51 in 24 to get Mumbai over the line.
CLT20: Mumbai Indians vs. Lions Scorecard, Recap and More
Sep 27, 2013
Mumbai Indians got their Champions League T20 campaign back on track with a commanding seven-wicket win over the Lions of South Africa in Jaipur.
The Indians won the toss and chose to field first, restricting the Lions to 140 for five from their 20 overs.
And the chase was relatively straightforward, reached with nine balls in hand.
The situation now looks bleak for the Lions, who must win their next two games to have any chance of progressing.
There were plenty of starts for the South African side—all of the top five batsmen reached double figures—but the highest score was only an unbeaten 35 from Alviro Peterson.
In response, Mumbai lost veteran Sachin Tendulkar for five, but thereafter, Dwayne Smith marshaled the chase.
The West Indies batsman finished unbeaten on 63 not out, with countryman Kieron Pollard for company on an unbeaten 32 as the IPL team got their first win of the group stages.
Daredevils-Mumbai Indians: 'Devils' Hope for Semifinals Jolted by Kieron Pollard
Apr 14, 2010
Having already qualified for the semifinals, the Mumbai Indians jolted the Delhi Daredevils' hope for reaching the same goal on Tuesday by handing them a 39-run loss in a crucial Indian Premier League cricket game.
Batting first, MI gave the Daredevils a daunting target of 184 runs. Experimenting with its bench strength, MI picked Chandan Madan for the first time to begin the innings with Sachin Tendulkar.
Madan started off well with two boundaries in the first over. Mr. Inexplicable (Sachin) soon joined the party and scored 30 of 26 balls.
The discovery of the tournament, Saurabh Tiwary, knocked 38 of 28 balls with two sixes, but the day will be remembered for the amazing talent Kieron Pollard, who stole the limelight with his masterly knock of unbeaten 45 of just 13 balls with five massive sixes, and concluded the innings with 183 runs on the scoreboard.
David Warner and Virender Sehwag provided a flying start to the DDs, but no other batsmen could carry the momentum.
Notes
Sachin regained the spot for maximum run getter, pushing Jacques Kallis to the second spot.
This is the first time MI has reached the semifinals in three seasons.
DD needs to stop being consistently on the losing side as the forthcoming matches are going to be the knockout ones. This coming week will decide who are going to be the top four teams of the season.
By the way, defining Sachin as Mr. Inexplicable was quite easy for me, as whenever I think of him I usually run out of words. There is no word better for him than "inexplicable," as a whole dictionary could be invented to list all the adjectives suiting him.
Mumbai Indians Over Reliant on Tendulkar
Apr 10, 2010
This is no new story to any team with Tendulkar. India was relying too much on this man at one point, and now the Mumbai Indians are showing signs of it. Their bowling is pretty good. They tend to keep their opponents under check. But it is the psychological advantage that their opponents gain after seeing the back of Tendulkar, that is hurting them the most.
The successful run of the Mumbai Indians in the first half of the tournament is attributed largely to the very good opening stands that Sachin and Dhawan were providing them with. Also, the Indian players in their line up were making good contributions. All that has changed in the last two games, and if that does not change soon, it could hurt them later. They might win a game and make it to the Semis, but a different level of performance is required at that stage.
JP Duminy should have got a chance a couple of games earlier. He lends solidity to the middle order. He would be the perfect man to capitalize on the good starts from Sachin and Dhawan. Remember, JP also provides them a cool slow bowling option. Apart from Bhajji, Mumbai do not have another spinner, with Jayasuriya also not playing. JP is a very good fielder too. They could also try Abhishek Nayar for R.Sathish.
Bravo & Pollard are similar kinds of bowlers, equally good fielders. Pollard is a bigger and cleaner striker of the ball, thus he could make the team ahead of Bravo. It is a difficult choice though.
MI need to seal their semi final berth soon. That is foreign territory for them, and may be they are feeling the pressure a bit. If the defeat against CSK was a jerk, the one against KXIP is a major jolt! Mi have to recover and fast. They would also be looking to give Malinga a rest and may be get Jayasuriya in for a few games.
It is very difficult to regain lost momentum, as evident from RCB’s recent performances. But again, it is up to each person in the team to put their hand up and perform. All this said, if anyone can inspire the team and lead by example – it is Sachin Tendulkar. He will know in the back of his mind, how close MI were to reaching the Semis in season 1, and he will be waiting to fire in the next game.
If MI can capitalize on the good starts or be able to rebuild the innings from a shaky start, it would take a lot of pressure off Tendulkar’s shoulders, and the Mumbai Indians will soon be on track again.
Twenty20: A Country for Old Men
Mar 23, 2010
In comparison to the well-over-a-century-old Test Cricket and almost four decades of One Day Internationals, Twenty20 can certainly be called the ‘New Kid in Town’; a smash hit and wonderful song of The Eagles. However, it is the title of the multi-Oscar winning film ‘No Country For Old Men’ that puts the current IPL in perspective; only because it provides the perfect and sharp contrast.
The so-called "old men" of cricket are having a ball at the game that is supposed to be tailor-made for young and fresh legs and that has been the biggest thrill that the tournament has provided so far. Who would have thought that the top names of the third season of IPL would feature Jacques Kallis, Chaminda Vaas, Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, Murali, Gilchrist etc?
Jacques Kallis has been phenomenal and he brings so much to the table with his rock solid batting that is sprinkled with assured and audacious stroke-play, his more than handy bowling, and safe catching to top it all.
The graph of the Royal Challengers Bangalore has just kept going up since Kumble took charge of the team and besides leadership, he has also adapted his bowling to the demands of this format that can easily kill the spirit of a bowler.
But then what format can kill the spirit of a bowler like Kumble, even if he is measured in four over spells?
What these old men have proved is that no matter what the format, one would be a fool to consider them as just a few guests at a party being hosted for someone else. It may not be right to club Andrew Symonds with the old lot but it’s worthwhile to note that he is about 35 and has been around for a while.
Symonds changed a game by plucking out a beauty with sheer brilliance. The catch was so good that his pointing the finger ever so slowly towards the dressing room almost looked like an understatement.
It was the moment that changed the game on its head. Karthik was batting on 42 from 25 balls and the Delhi Daredevils were 152 for 5 needing 20 runs in 12 balls when Symonds came on to bowl the penultimate over having gone for just 15 in his three overs in which he picked one wicket.
The momentum had just swung in the favour of Delhi with Karthik having hit Rohit Sharma for a six and two fours and then taken a single to retain strike. The first ball of the 19th over went for four as Karthik played a lovely square cut and Delhi now needed 16 from 11 balls with 5 wickets in hand.
That is when Symonds came up with that magical catch that would have gone for a certain boundary but for those outstretched fingers and the lunging towards the right side body of a superb athlete. It was a great over in which he picked another wicket and gave a buffer of 14 runs for the crafty and retired from international cricket Vaas.
Vaas was accurate as ever and two more wickets fell in the first two balls of Vaas and it was Deccan all the way. The three top teams right now are captained by Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, and Adam Gilchrist; two retired and one the longest-serving player on the circuit.
Tendulkar notched up his second fifty of the series when his unbeaten 71 saw Mumbai home in the penultimate over against Kolkata. It was the bowlers who had restricted Kolkata to an under par score by sticking to their line and full length and then as commentator and former India fast bowler Atul Wasan pointed out it was as if the professor had come out himself and given a demonstration of how it is done.
This new kid certainly enjoys having the oldies around.
