3 losses in 3 matches; 7-factor analysis of MI's performance in the IPL

It has been an eventful few days for the cricket fans. A week full of a sumptuous dose of cricket - sixes and fours, bouncers and yorkers, injuries and protests, tweets and posts - the most any cricket fan could hope for. The IPL tagline says - "Sher se Sher ladega to kaun jeetega?" ( when a lion fights with a lion who would win?). The tagline is indeed true as this is perhaps the first IPL wherein it is extremely difficult to single out a potential winner or a stronger side at least when we scan through the squads.

The defending champions Mumbai Indians have started off in a typical fashion this season as well - losing all the three matches that they have played in nail-biting encounters. But even after these loses the MI fans would not worry much as they are aware of the fact that the champion brigade take time to get on the right track but once on it, there is no stopping them. Rohit Sharma and the team management are still in search of that perfect mix of players that will form the recipe for success this season.

Let us dive in deep and find out what Mumbai Indians seem to have got correct and what not based on 7 factors...

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#1 Powerplay batting (overs 1- 6)

Evin Lewis with Suryakumar Yadav scored heavily against the DD in the powerplay

Over the years the Mumbai Indians have always struggled to find the right opening pair that can get them off to a flier. This season too the first two matches lacked the expected fireworks as MI kept on losing wickets at regular intervals.

However, MI significantly improved its powerplay performance by promoting in-form Suryakumar Yadav to open the innings along with Evin Lewis. They managed to score at a staggering 14 runs an over. It would be interesting to see how consistent this opening combination is.

Have a look at the powerplay batting stats -

MI batting in powerplay

#2 Middle overs batting (overs 7 - 15)

Rohit Sharma at No. 4 will help to bring stability to the middle order

T20 cricket is not just about smashing every single ball out of the park and a key to any team's batting success is building partnerships especially in the middle overs. Mumbai Indians have not been able to stitch a big partnership in the middle overs. As a result, Rohit Sharma demoted himself to No. 4 to bring stability and experience to the middle order.

Although it did not work as expected, it seems to be the correct move as Rohit could bat with Ishan Kishan and any one of the Pandya brothers to build the MI innings and propel the final score.

Have a look at the mid-overs batting stats -

MI batting in middle overs

#3 Slog overs batting (overs 16 - 20)

Kieron Pollard needs to step up and help MI finish well

This is perhaps the most exciting phase of the game for the fans and a nightmare for the bowlers as the batsmen try an attack every single ball to fetch as many runs as possible in the final 5 overs. One of the biggest strengths of MI during the previous IPL seasons was finishing strong with the likes of power hitters Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya in lower middle order.

But this season it has been substandard scoring a paltry 7.2 runs an over in last two encounters losing 3 and 5 wickets respectively. The hard-hitting trio needs to step up and end the innings on a high.

Have a look at the slog overs batting stats -

MI batting in the slog overs

#4 New ball bowling (overs 1 - 6)

MI bowlers have not been able to strike early with the new ball

Moving on to the bowling department, Rohit Sharma has been busy experimenting and has tried handing the new ball to Pandya brothers, Bumrah, Cutting, Mustafizur, Dhananjaya, and McClenaghan. All of them have bowled reasonably well but have not been to able pick early wickets.

Hardik Pandya and Ben Cutting seem to be an ideal choice for Rohit as the MI require services of Bumrah and Mustafizur in the death overs. Also, Krunal Pandya's impeccable line and length and his match awareness will motivate Rohit to hand him the new ball against a right-handed batsman who struggles against spin.

Have a look at the new ball bowling stats -

MI bowling with the new ball

#5 Middle overs bowling (overs 7 - 15)

Mayank Markande and Krunal Pandya have bowled very well in the middle overs

The biggest positive out all three matches would the middle overs bowling where MI dramatically pulled back things picking up 5 wickets in the first 2 matches and 2 in the third. The Mumbai Indians have unearthed a new talent in Mayank Markande who has been deceptive with his googlies and has picked up 7 wickets in 3 matches at an economy rate of 8.0.

Markande and Krunal Pandya form a great pair and can trouble any batsman on a given day and also restrict the run flow in the middle overs. A few overs from Mustafizur, Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in this period gives Mumbai Indians a natural spin-fast variation.

Have a look at the mid-over bowling stats -

MI bowling in the middle overs

#6 Death bowling (overs 16 - 20)

Bumrah and Mustafizur have been outstanding for MI at the death

Except for the first match where Bravo took the death bowlers Bumrah and Mustafizur to cleaners, both of them have been brilliant in the other 2 matches. In the match against SRH, the duo gave away just 16 runs in the 4 overs between them. Unfortunately, Ben Cutting could not defend the 11 runs in the last overs.

The variations by Bumrah and Mustafizur have been spot on and have helped MI get extremely close to the victory from a losing position.

Have a look at the death bowling stats -

MI bowling in the death overs

#7 Catching and ground fielding

Pollard and Pandya have been brilliant with their catching

The MI catching has been a mixed bag with a couple of outstanding catches by Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya followed by two drop catches by Mustafizur Rahman against DD. Ground fielding too has not been up to the mark with Rahul Chahar giving away a couple of boundaries which should have been stopped.

Jhonty Rhodes the former MI fielding coach had set high standards in the fielding department and such lapses in the field do not suit a champion side. Rohit Sharma too agreed to the fact that his team needs to work on this aspect of the game.

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