Mumbai Indians have looked like a winning team looking to break through the shell
Mumbai Indians have endured a tough first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 losing four games and winning three. There were near misses and a couple of shambolic batting performances, but Hardik Pandya’s side have gritted their teeth to get over the line as optimism is slightly growing among the five-time champions.
They had gone all the way in the past seasons after a lukewarm start to their seasons during their dominant era. In the last few seasons, major exits, leadership changes has seen MI go through a transition phase.
This season, they look like a side that can rise from the grave and make a dash for the title in the second half.
Here are three reasons that suggest that MI can still win the IPL 2025.
Many had criticised Hardik Pandya’s move to his older franchise after two highly-successful seasons with Gujarat Titans last year. MI’s invincibility was non-existent, their batting was below average, their bowling was underwhelming and they deservedly finished bottom of the table.
But this season, Pandya and the management have made the right decisions at the right time as they went in search of a win streak after near misses against Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Pandya has claimed a five-wicket haul and a superb 42 off 15 balls respectively in these matches which brought MI very close.
The all-out efforts from their captain seems to have rubbed off on the team as they handed Delhi Capitals their first defeat of IPL 2025 with a stunning performance at the death and then thoroughly beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the next match.
Cameras had recorded how Pandya had his ankle heavily strapped, yet kept going during the SRH clash and got a wicket off the next ball he bowled. After two trophy wins in the international arena, Pandya is looking much more relaxed and more determined when he speaks during the matches.
The pace attack of MI looked incredible when they got going but were found out when they failed to stick to their lines. The unavailability of strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah didn’t help in the first few matches either. However, they have improved since the LSG game with their middle-overs game with the likes of Trent Boult, Bumrah and Hardik all contributing to their economy of 8.33 and nine wickets in this phase.
The Mumbai Indians of the yore had relied on a smart bowling strategy with pacers playing the critical part and with the combinations settling down, they can add to the 30 wickets from their total count of 52 wickets this season.
The top-order of Ryan Rickleton, Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks and Tilak Varma were unconvincing or pedestrian in their approach with the new ball and struggled in the middle phase.
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But one flashy start here and a big fifty there and their top-order has started to find their feet. Former captain Rohit Sharma is a prime example of this. With scores of 0, 8, 13, 17, 18 and 26 has a pleasing upward trajectory while Rickleton has contributed 62 not out, 41 and 31 in the three wins of their season.
With Hardik taking on the six-hitting onus, the lower-middle order is also finding its rhythm. MI are currently third in the acceleration department as they have a strike rate of 151 in between 10-20 overs with 53 boundaries and 30 sixes in that period. Even though they don’t have a finisher of Kieron Pollard’s pedigree in their ranks, the likes of Pandya, Naman Dhir and Mitchell Santner seem to have a know-how on how to finish games within few balls.
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