IPL: With SKY set to return, Mumbai Indians look for full points against struggling Delhi Capitals

Mumbai: After their first home match ended in an embarrassing defeat to Rajasthan Royals in which they managed to score only 125, five-time Mumbai Indians go into their next match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against Delhi Capitals with their title hopes on the line.

Mumbai Indians are 0-3 from their first three matches having lost to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad in their opening match and followed it up with disquieting defeats to Sunrisers Hyderabad in a match in which they conceded 277/3 in 20 overs, the highest total ever scored in IPL.

The three defeats have also exposed the frailties in their squad, leaving them groping for answers for the brittleness of their batting order — in three outings, only Tilak Varma has scored the lone half-century for them, and the innocuousness of their bowling which has conceded the highest team total-ever in IPL history. To add to their misery, they have not been great in the field too, putting down some catches.

But the bigger worry for the franchise has been the reception that the new skipper Hardik Pandya has received wherever they have played. He has been booed at Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and also at home — at their fortress Wankhede Stadium. The fans have reacted with anger to the franchise management’s decision to arbitrarily and abruptly dethrone Rohit Sharma as skipper and had it over to Hardik Pandya, who had left Mumbai Indians two seasons for Gujarat Titans after winning multiple titles with the team.

It is apparent that Pandya was promised captaincy by Gujarat Titans and left Mumbai Indians and was not sure whether he would get the captaincy after Rohit. There were other claimants like Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, who have also led India just like Pandya. Pandya led Gujarat to the title in the franchise’s inaugural year in 2022 and then to a runner-up finish in 2023. Why he suddenly switched back, so mysteriously, to Mumbai Indians is not very clear. And that is the reason, the fans are quite unhappy with how the change has been affected for Rohit Sharma had a highly successful stint as captain, having led Mumbai Indians to five titles.

It is not clear whether it is because of the unsavoury incidents caused by unhappy fans or the extra pressure of leading a side like Mumbai Indians, Hardik seems to have lost his Midas Touch when it comes to captaincy. While he has been booed on the ground, his tactics have been questioned by many experts, especially the way he handled seasoned pacer Jasprit Bumrah during the match against SRH. Hardik delayed pressing Bumrah into action till the 13th over of the SRH innings, thus allowing the opponents to put up a massive score.

The three matches so far have also proved that while batter Hardik Pandya is up there at the top, his bowling has not been up to the mark as well as his captaincy.

For the match against Delhi Capitals on Sunday afternoon, Mumbai Indians have got a big boost as far as their batting is concerned with Suryakumar Yadav, who has recuperated from the sports hernia operation he underwent in Munich, Germany, available for selection. The middle-order batter has been declared fit to play by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Though Mumbai Indians may like to ease him into the team considering SKY is short on match-practice, the way their batting collapsed in the previous match may prompt them to make haste.

With two more home matches to play, before they hit the ground, Sunday’s match will be very crucial for Mumbai Indians if they have to put their campaign back on the rail.

It’s an afternoon match and will start at 3.30 pm. IANS

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