Their fate was sealed after a resounding victory by Sunrisers Hyderabad over Lucknow Super Giants, pushing Mumbai to the bottom of the table with only four wins from 12 matches.
On Hardik Pandya-led MI team’s struggle in the season, Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram weighed in on Mumbai’s predicament, shedding light on the tumultuous season they’ve endured. Akram’s insights provided a deeper understanding of the challenges MI faced, particularly in light of the ‘sudden’ captaincy change that stirred controversy.
“Mumbai Indians must be going through a lot as a team. Last minute mein jo captain change huwa hai na Mumbai Indians ka, usse farak toh pada hai [The last minute change in the captaincy definitely made a difference],” remarked Akram, highlighting the impact of leadership alterations from Rohit Sharma to Pandya just before the season starts.
“Agar yeh pata hota na ki yeh badal rahe hai aur Rohit khud kahta ki, I just wanna play my cricket and have a rest. India ki captaani bhi chodd di hai toh phir theek hai [If it was predetermined and Rohit had said himself that he wanted to just play cricket and take rest. If he had given up the India captaincy too, then it would have been okay],” Akram added.
Akram suggested alternative strategies Mumbai could have employed to mitigate the fallout from the captaincy change. He emphasized the importance of seamless transitions and the need for clarity in team management decisions.
“Woh India ki kaptani bhi kar raha hai. In my opinion, iss saal Pandya ko vice-captain banate, Rohit kaptani karta aur agle saal Rohit kahta ab bas – I am relaxing, I want to enjoy and I am giving reigns to Pandya. Kissi ko shock nahi hota. That didn’t go down well for Mumbai Indians,” Akram elaborated.
Reflecting on Mumbai’s storied history in the IPL, Akram acknowledged their formidable track record, describing them as “bahut achchi team hai, paanch dafa jeete huwe woh IPL.”
Despite their early exit from this year’s tournament, Akram viewed this setback as a valuable learning experience for the team.
“That must be a big let down for them and a learning curve for them too,” Akram concluded.
