November 10 2020 – the last time when the Mumbai Indians lifted the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy, there were wide discussions about the Rohit Sharma-led side being not only the most dominant team in the IPL but in the history of T20 cricket.
It was their third IPL trophy in four years and their fifth overall, and the team appeared to be invincible. They had a win percentage of 68.75 percent that year. Delhi Capitals stood at the second place with just 52.94 percent.
Through the four years of domination between 2017 and 2020, the team had also sported the second-best batting strike rate and bowling economy rate.
Even when CSK were at their most dominant, between 2010 and 2013, the team had only won 60.87 percent of their matches, significantly less than Mumbai Indians in their prime.
"It's not rocket science," Rohit Sharma, the most successful captain in the history of the IPL, had said after Mumbai Indians' fifth title win. "We have worked really hard for the balance, for these players. All these players were available to all the teams. Right from Quinton de Kock to Jasprit were available to all the squads. But we invested in them from the beginning and had confidence in them."
Irony shoots itself in the face when you read these lines now.
Mumbai Messed Up the 2022 IPL Auction
There are form issues, confidence issues and team selection issues, but at the core of it all, the reason why Mumbai Indians have failed to get on the board after five matches is how poorly they fared at the recent mega auction.
Mumbai do appear to be the worst sufferers of the new 10-team IPL and the mega auctions but they have themselves to blame as well.
Spending Rs 15.25 crore for Ishan Kishan is all well and good for the headlines and for feeding into the loyalty narrative but by shelling out over Rs 23 crore together on Kishan and an injury-riddled Jofra Archer, they did not leave themselves with enough money to build a team.
Ishan Kishan is a great player to have in your team. He is an explosive opener, a left-hander, a wicketkeeper and a local player, and helps immensely with the balance of the side, but with him having averaged over 25 and struck at 135 or more only once in his IPL career, Rs 15.25 crore were five crore too many for him.
Key Players for Key Spots Missing
If you want to relive MI's glory days, just go back and take a look at their XI in the IPL 2020 final, and then try to assess how many big players they're missing.
Quinton de Kock – a 500 run/season opening bat, lefty and wicketkeeper, the Pandya brothers – the backbone of the side who provided enviable balance both with bat and ball and Powerplay marauder Trent Boult.
Even on the bench, the team had guys like James Pattinson, Chris Lynn, and Sherfane Rutherford who possessed the ability to turn the match around on their own. Look at their bench now and you will struggle to find an exciting name.
Many had similar doubts after the auctions but were circumspect to mouth it, wary of the Mumbai Indians machinery, which identifies and scouts talent like no other.
The perception was that they would invariably have something up their sleeve. However, with the exception of Tilak Varma, their talent cupboard now stands bare.
When you're having to play just two overseas players for the first time in your IPL history of 15 years, there's no denying the fact that you've botched up the auctions, and there's no going back now.
IPL 2022: Six Defeats in Six Matches
Even though it was a hard sell from the outset this time, the trivia that gave the Mumbai Indians' fans some hope was that the team had a similar start in 2015 when they lost their first four matches and then went on to win the title.
However, their squad just doesn't lend itself to turning the corner in 2022. For them to have any impact, first and foremost, captain Rohit Sharma needs to go big. He has been assertive in the time he has spent at the crease but hasn't been able to convert his starts into something substantial. Key man Ishan Kishan has slowed down after a good start as well.
While their middle order seems quite impressive with Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, and Suryakumar Yadav all contributing well, the consistency of Kieron Pollard has let the team down.
More than anything else, MI are struggling with their balance. The management might not trust Singapore's Tim David enough for him to hold on to his spot after splurging Rs 8.25 crore on him but they still need a quality all-rounder to fill the No 7 spot.
While it is not exactly what the doctor has ordered, Caribbean spin bowling all-rounder Fabian Allen can play that role.
The team is desperately missing the likes of Trent Boult and James Pattinson who gave them a fillip with consistent Powerplay wickets in the recent past. Their trump card Jasprit Bumrah, too, has not been on the button this season. The most reasonable expectation from Jaydev Unadkat and Basil Thampi is for them to be steady and economical.
Where do the wickets come from then? Tymal Mills and Murugan Ashwin have played their part but Mumbai need some mystery in their attack, somebody like a Mujeeb Ur Rahman for the sake of variety, if nothing else.
Mumbai Indians are slow starters. That's how they do it. Losing a couple of games in the beginning is a good omen.
Unfortunately for the men in royal blue, they've pushed it too far this time around. Six consecutive defeats to begin with has put the playoff berth past even the famed reputation of Mumbai Indians. As harsh as it might sound, you don't really need to be an astrologer to foresee that 2022 isn't going to be the year for Mumbai Indians.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)