As the Mumbai Indians struggled to find their footing at the start of IPL 2025, they seemed set for another disastrous season. They were stuck at the bottom of the points table with four losses in five matches.
The top-order failed to show any consistency, and memories of the dark phase of last season’s IPL, when they finished last with eight points from 14 matches, were perhaps haunting them.
Head coach Mahela Jayawardene urged the players to be more “ruthless” and avoid “losing discipline” before it was too late to salvage their campaign.
Things changed dramatically once Jasprit Bumrah returned to the side in the early part of April. A six-match winning streak led to Mumbai’s turnaround as they raised hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.
With qualification on the line, and rain looming, the five-time champions brought out their A-game in a crunch tie at the Wankhede on Wednesday evening to
seal the last-remaining playoffs berth. In a David vs
Goliath contest, as Faf du Plessis put it, the Goliath
won for a change.
The Hardik Pandya-led side were simply too resourceful, too skillful and too powerful for Delhi Capitals.
This stunning resurgence drew praise from former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who commended both the team and captain Hardik for the transformation.
“What we saw from last year to this year has been the fact that he (Hardik) also got the support of the crowd backing him. Last year, he would have been a little bit unsettled by the fact that the Mumbai crowd and the Mumbai supporters were not really backing him so much,” Gavaskar said during a Star Sports Press Room session a few days back.
“But this year, they are all behind him. And they are all urging him to go on to win.”
Hardik’s composure on the field was a key factor in the team’s change in fortunes. His calming influence had a lasting impression on the players, not panicking in times of crisis and refusing to show much emotion on the field.
This season, the team has had stand-out performers whenever the situation demanded. Be it Bumrah, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma, they always rose to the occasion, delivering stunning numbers to orchestrate a shift in momentum.
Delhi Capitals had the game perfectly in their grasp on Wednesday, having restricted Mumbai Indians to just 132 in 18 overs. But the final two overs changed the complexion of the contest as Mumbai added 48 runs.
This season is turning out to be redemption time for Hardik’s boys, who have now secured a playoffs berth for the 11th time in 18 seasons.
They are always a different beast in the knockouts, and their experience of mastering crunch situations will surely help them carry the momentum. It could mean ominous signs for the likes of RCB, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans.