IPL 2018: Decoding Mumbai Indians' campaign
What's the story
Mumbai Indians scripted a heart-breaking story of falling short after coming so close to reach the play-offs of IPL 2018. The defending champions needed a win in their final game, but failed to overcome Daredevils as they ended fifth. It was a season where the team missed out on crucial moments and handed the momentum back. Here we analyze MI's campaign.
Batting
Middle order a big failure
In IPL 2018, MI batsmen couldn't quite deliver consistent performances. There were moments of brilliance, but overall the side could not stick together in terms of getting valuable runs when needed. On several occasions, Suryakumar and Evin Lewis provided a good start but reckless shots by middle-order cost them those close ties. Middle-order batsmen lacked the steel and intensity required to defend the title.
Credit
Bowlers need to be credited
Batting failures out-did the work done by Mumbai bowlers. MI's bowlers were the best in the season and it was a pleasing sight to watch the variety and the dimension each one provided. Bumrah was the leader of the pack and got MI close. Hardik Pandya needs to be commended for his consistency. Mayank Markande and Mitchell McClenaghan stood out as well.
Captain
Rohit gets 7/10 as the captain
He did not have a good season with bat, but skipper Rohit Sharma needs to be applauded. Yes, MI missed out. But the games they lost in the beginning were last-over encounters. One shouldn't forget that his experience as a leader helped MI keep their chances alive till the very end. There wasn't much tweaking in the XI. As always, he backed his players.
Information
The ploy to let Surya open was a masterstroke
The crucial decision for Mumbai, this season, was Rohit allowing Suryakumar to open the innings from their 3rd game. He played like a free bird and along with Lewis kept MI in the hunt. He scored 512 runs and broke several records.