Decoding Mumbai Indians's journey to the IPL 2023 playoffs
Mumbai Indians have advanced to the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs despite a mixed run in the first half of the season. The five-time champions peaked just at the right time and finished the league stage at the fourth position. Rohit Sharma's men will now meet Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator. Here we decode their road to the playoffs.
Why does this story matter?
MI's campaign this season was largely dented by injuries. While Jasprit Bumrah did not play even one game, the struggling Jofra Archer was ruled out midway through the competition. MI lost four of their first seven games. However, they emphatically bounced back and won five of their next seven. The likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, and Piyush Chawla have been stellar for them.
A fourth-place finish for MI
With eight wins in 14 games and a net run rate of -0.044, MI finished at the fourth place. This is their 10th entry in the IPL playoffs. Notably, Royal Challengers Bangalore needed a win over Gujarat Titans in the last league game to earn the fourth position. However, they failed to do so, allowing MI to advance to the next stage.
Here are their top batters
After enduring a horrendous run in the initial half, Suryakumar unleashed his A-game and finished the league stage as MI's highest run-getter. He scored 511 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 185.14. Ishan finished the league stage with 439 runs, striking at 143.46. Cameron Green smoked a 47-ball 100* in MI's last league game. He has raced to 381 runs (SR: 159.41).
Here are their top bowlers
Veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla is MI's leading wicket-taker with 20 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 7.81. Jason Behrendorff, who has been brilliant with the new ball, has raced to 14 wickets in 10 games (ER: 9.65). Eight of his wickets came in the powerplay. Akash Madhwal claimed a four-fer (4/37) in MI's last league game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Here are the records broken
MI chased down 215 versus Rajasthan Royals in the league stage, the joint-third-highest successful chase in the history of IPL. They also became the first team to successfully chase down 200-plus totals in successive IPL games. MI conceded 200-plus totals in four successive matches, the longest such streak in IPL. Rohit now has the second-most ducks in IPL (16).
A look at the playoff scenario
MI now need three wins on the trot to clinch their sixth IPL trophy. They first need to defeat LSG in the Eliminator to earn a ticket to Qualifier 2, where the loser of Qualifier 1 awaits them. MI will then have to win Qualifier 2 and advance to the final, where they will meet the Qualifier 1 winner.
