Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians have faced one of their most challenging seasons in the Indian Premier League, ending with a disheartening performance at their home ground, the Wankhede Stadium. On Friday, May 17, the Lucknow Super Giants handed the Mumbai Indians an 18-run defeat, cementing their standing at the bottom of the points table for the 2024 IPL season.
In a grim repeat of their 2022 season, Mumbai Indians managed to notch up only four wins out of their 14 matches. This underwhelming performance led them to secure the wooden spoon for the second time in IPL history, a situation woefully unfamiliar to the five-time IPL champions. Notably, their joint-worst season match stat equaled the ignominious record they set two years prior.
The match against Lucknow Super Giants began with a dominating batting display from LSG, who posted an imposing total of 214/6. Nicholas Pooran was the standout performer for LSG, striking a stellar 75 runs that set the tone for the match. The Mumbai Indians, despite being backed by their home crowd, struggled to keep up with the high-scoring pace.
Mumbai’s batting lineup failed to capitalize on the situation, missing out on crucial runs and falling short in key moments. Rohit Sharma tried to provide some resistance with a well-fought 68 but couldn’t steer his team to victory. The landscape of the game was such that even an impressive effort from him wasn’t enough to turn the tide in favor of MI.
Amidst the overall lackluster performance, Naman Dhir emerged as a beacon of hope. Dhir’s innings shone brightly as he continually fought to keep Mumbai’s prospects alive. Coming in at Number 7, he scored an unbeaten 62 off just 28 balls, including some powerful sixes that momentarily lifted the spirits of the fans. Dhir’s valiant performance was especially noteworthy as he achieved the second-highest score for an MI player batting at this position.
The hopelessness began to turn into fleeting optimism when Dhir hit a six off the first ball of the 20th over. However, with Mumbai requiring 34 runs to clinch the victory, the gap proved too wide to bridge. Dhir did manage to slash the defeat margin with his final efforts, eventually narrowing it down to 18 runs.
To put Dhir’s performance into perspective, his unbeaten 62 is the second-highest score ever by a Mumbai Indians player batting at Number 7 or lower in the IPL. The highest score in this position for MI remains Harbhajan Singh’s 64 off 24 balls against PBKS at Wankhede in 2015. Dhir’s recent effort will be remembered for its tenacity and for providing fans a semblance of hope during a challenging season.
Here’s a quick look at Mumbai Indians’ top scores while batting at Number 7 or lower:
1. 64 (24) – Harbhajan Singh vs PBKS, Wankhede, 2015
2. 62* (28) – Naman Dhir vs LSG, Wankhede, 2024
3. 52* (31) – Kieron Pollard vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2012
The playing XI for Mumbai Indians in this match was as follows: Ishan Kishan (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Hardik Pandya (c), Nehal Wadhera, Romario Shepherd, Anshul Kamboj, Piyush Chawla, Arjun Tendulkar, and Nuwan Thushara.
For the victorious Lucknow Super Giants, the playing XI included: KL Rahul (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Arshad Khan, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, and Mohsin Khan.
As Mumbai Indians conclude what has been one of their most disappointing seasons, the cricket community is left speculating about the future of the team. Changes are expected, strategies will be reevaluated, and a myriad of questions looms over the squad.
With a legacy of five championship titles, the Mumbai Indians are no strangers to bouncing back from setbacks. It remains to be seen how they reconstruct their fabled powerhouse team for the next season, ensuring that history does not repeat itself. For now, the curtains fall on a season they would want to forget and rebuild for a stronger comeback in IPL’s future editions.
