The Mumbai Indians lost to the Gujarat Titans in the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, extending their 11-game losing streak. The team captained by Hardik Pandya has lost its last 12 games. In a thrilling last-ball match, Shubman Gill made his IPL captaincy debut and defeated MI by six runs.
Maintaining traditions Since 2013, the Mumbai Indians have continued the habit of losing the IPL opener. In an exciting match on Sunday in Ahmedabad, GT Snatched 2 points with a six-run victory. MI fell behind when Rohit Sharma was dismissed, finishing at 162 for 9 in 20 overs, despite Jasprit Bumrah bowling outstanding spells to limit Gujarat Titans to 168 for 6 in 20 overs.
After MI won the toss and elected to bowl first, GT managed to score just 168 runs thanks to a fantastic spell from Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah let up just 13 runs in four overs while picking up three wickets.
From GT a knock of 46, Sai Sudharsan led the hosts in scoring, followed by Shubman Gill with 31 runs.
With a 15-ball 22, Rahul Tewatia gave the Titans a solid finish.
In response, MI looked for an easy victory following a strong partnership between Rohit Sharma (42) and Dewald Brevis (46). The five-time champions collapsed and could not cross the finish line, with Tim David, Tilak Verma, and
Hardik Pandya failed to cross the line even though they needed 46 runs to win in the last six overs.
new face Naman Dhir started out with an attack of boundaries, getting commentators like Ravi Shastri enthusiastic as they talked about the ideal lineup for India in the forthcoming T20 World Cup.
But MI knew they had their work cut out for them since Sai Sudharsan was determined to pick up where he left off in the final match against CSK last season with an incredible 96.
Mumbai may have lost, but their past indicates that they are ready for winning again.
They haven’t won an IPL opener in 11 seasons, and they won’t break that streak in the next 12th season either. They have a tendency to lose the opening game before winning the championship.
The Mumbai Indians team’s controversial captaincy move, wherein Hardik Pandya replaced the seasoned Rohit Sharma, has already drawn criticism. The fact that the squad lost their IPL season opener would only make him the target of more criticism.
Pandya also faced criticism for delaying batting until the very end of the game, when there was only one over remaining and things were difficult.
The Mumbai Indians, who had dominated the game till the last over, suffered a disappointing loss, making Hardik Pandya’s comeback to the team disappointing.
Because of their track record of success in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Mumbai Indians MI is typically considered one of the favourites.
The Men in Blue and Gold won their title in 2013, defeating the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2010 final.
They have since added four more IPL trophies to their impressive cabinet. When it comes to the team with the most IPL titles (5), MI is at the top of the pack with wins in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.
The only other team with five IPL championships is CSK, who last won a championship the previous year.
Despite their initial struggles, they have won the trophy five times, proving that early losses do not always always determine the season’s fate. Praise should be given to their bravery and never-say-die mentality, which is precisely why it would be silly to write them off after a few early losses.
On Wednesday, March 27, MI will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SH) at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.
Since MI has lost its opening match, supporters will view this defeat as positive.
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