Mumbai Indians became champions in the IPL five times, but the start of IPL 2024 did not go well for them. MI have lost both their games so far, for which Hardik Pandya’s captaincy bears the biggest responsibility. Mumbai lost in the first game against Gujarat Titans by 6 runs and now by 31 runs against SRH. Hardik Pandya has been widely criticized for his poor captaincy but it is not the first time that Mumbai Indians have started the series with a loss. Previously, Rohit Sharma, under his captaincy, had failed to lead MI to victory in the opening game of the season for 11 consecutive years.
The streak of bad luck has now lasted 12 years
This fact may surprise you that Mumbai Indians have never won their opening game of the season since 2012. Their last win in the first game of the season came in IPL 2012 where they won by 8 wickets against Chennai Super Kings. After that, 11 years and 11 seasons of the Indian Premier League have passed, but Mumbai Indians’ losing streak never ends. Now in 2024, MI suffered a defeat in the first game of the season for the 12th time in a row, meaning even new captain Hardik Pandya was unable to change the team’s fortunes.
It is also very shocking that Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians in 2013 and MI’s poor rhythm started from the same year. Although Rohit has made his team champions five times during this period, the series of defeats in the opening game of the season has left his name with a very poor record. Under his captaincy, Rohit could never lead MI to victory in the first game of an IPL season.
Talking about IPL 2014, under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians lost not just one or two but five games in a row at the start of the series. Despite this, the team qualified for the playoffs in 2014, but failed to become champions. For this reason, fans should definitely show some faith in Hardik Pandya’s captaincy. Currently, the team has lost two games in a row under his captaincy, but MI’s fate can change at any time.