Hyderabad: Mumbai Indians are always considered to be one of the title contenders when a season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) starts. However, this time around they were at the centre of controversy when IPL 2024 kicked off due to a change in the leadership role. The captaincy was handed to all-rounder Hardik Pandya before the start of the season and that directed a lot of flak towards the skipper.
The performance of the franchise has also been poor in the ongoing edition so far managing to win only three matches out of 10 they have played. Tilak Verma has been the top run-getter for the team with a tally of 343 runs with an average of 42.88 and a strike rate of 153.81.
On the other hand , Jasprit Bumrah has been effective in the bowling department with 14 wickets to his name so far in the tournament. With MI yet to play their last four games, they need to show a stellar performance and rely on luck to enter the playoffs.
MI Must Win All Their Remaining Games
MI will play against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) twice while they will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for one match each. All three teams are in the top four of the points table and so it is going to be a stiff challenge for Hardik and Co. to outplay them in the upcoming games and take their tally to 14 points. Other bowlers besides Bumrah should chip in and help the team orchestrate a victory.
Lucknow Super Giants to lose all their games
As Rajasthan Royals (RR) are at 16 points, MI won’t be able to catch them. Also, KKR have a quite high net run rate of +1.096 and so they might be also out of reach for MI. RCB is almost out of the tournament and that leaves MI in competition with six teams for a spot in the top four. For them, either of the LSG or SRH must lose all their remaining games so the side will be stuck at 12 points. In the scenario of LSG losing all their games, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will also need to win only one game against RR while losing the other three which will take their tally to 12 points by the end of the league stage. Only one victory for Delhi Capitals (DC) and two wins each for Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Gujarat Titans (GT) will keep all three teams on 12 points.
In case, things unfold this way RR, KKR, SRH and MI are going to be the top four teams by the end of the league stage.
Sunrisers Hyderabad To Lose All Their Games
Although it is an unlikely scenario considering the kind of batting unit SRH possesses, if the franchise loses all of its remaining games it can pave the way for MI to enter into the top four as the team will end at 12 points by the conclusion of the league stage. GT can have three wins in this scenario and can get to 14 points but MI might trump them in the end with a superior net run rate.
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