Five-time champions, Mumbai Indians once again found themselves on the losing side on Monday evening at the Wankhede as they went down to the Rajasthan Royals by six wickets after a major batting collapse at the start of their innings.
The pressure on the new skipper, Hardik Pandya is immense, as it wasn’t just the defeat. The former Gujarat Titans captain was jeered by the Mumbai crowd amidst the loss.
Is this the worst start to the season for MI?
MI have now lost all three of their opening games this season and are currently placed at the bottom of the table. But, it is not for the first time that the Paltan have had a bad start to the season, we have seen MI time and time again, making brilliant comebacks after awful starts during the beginning of the season.
The best example of such an instance would be the 2015 season wherein the then captain, Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai started the season with four losses and eventually went on to lift the title.
Although every season is different the mentality of winners never changes and Hardik Pandya’s team would need to dig deeper and instill the same champion mentality that has helped their team make comebacks in the past and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Let’s have a look at some of Mumbai Indians’ worst starts to an IPL season and how long it took for the men in blue and gold to get their first win of the season.
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| Year | No.of matches lost at start of season | Position at the end of the season |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 8 | Bottom of the table |
| 2014 | 5 | Reached the Playoffs |
| 2015 | 4 | Champions |
| 2018 | 3 | Fifth in the table. |
| 2024 | 3* | Bottom of the table. |
*current season. Mumbai Indians have played only three matches so far
What next for Mumbai Indians?
The Hardik Pandya-led team will take on Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 7 at 3:30pm.
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