Well, it’s official—Mumbai Indians, the 5-time IPL champions, have forgotten the most basic rule of cricket: how to win. It’s like watching your favorite superhero forget how to fly.
And the plot twist? The culprits are none other than Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya—the dynamic duo who seem to have swapped their cricket bats for invisible ones. Now, don’t shoot the messenger. The numbers are the real villains here.
Gujarat Titans handed MI a 36-run defeat and are off the mark on the IPL 2025 points table. Meanwhile, Mumbai is still searching for that elusive victory after 2 matches. In fact, it was Mumbai's 29th Defeat Since IPL 2022. No other team has suffered more than 26 losses during this period. Can't associate MI with such woeful numbers, but it's true.
Now, let’s talk about the match. The pitch was a batter’s paradise when GT batted—runs flowed like coffee on a Monday morning. But the moment MI’s run-chase started, it felt like the pitch had an identity crisis.
Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma tried to be the shining stars, but Rohit and Hardik? They were the black holes, pulling all hope into an abyss of despair.
Rohit Sharma’s score: 8. Yep, just 8. That too after getting out for a duck in the previous match. In fact, it was the 80th single-digit dismissal in the IPL. At this point, single digits are practically his signature move.
And then there’s Hardik, who got out for a 17-ball-11 vs GT. When the need of the hour was “aggressive cricket,” Hardik went for a casual stroll in “let’s take it slow” land.
Have a look at his numbers vs the pacers since returning for the Mumbai Indians.
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12 dismissals
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11.2 average
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120 strike rate
And he has played 41% dots against the fast bowlers during this time.
Since taking over MI’s captaincy, Hardik has failed to beat his former team, Gujarat Titans. Let's not forget, MI lost last year's game against GT as well under him. In fact, they have lost each of their 4 matches against GT in Ahmedabad.
Let’s be honest: MI is setting new records, but not the good kind. They’re touching new lows with every passing match.
But wait—it’s still early days. The season isn’t over, and there’s hope because who doesn’t love a redemption arc?.
The bigger question: Will the vintage Rohit and Hardik finally wake up, smell the coffee, and turn things around? Or will Mumbai’s IPL 2025 story be a tragic tale of what could’ve been? Stay tuned.
