IPL 2023: A silver lining despite the loss for Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians started their IPL 2023 campaign with a huge loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore, making it an astonishing 11th consecutive defeat in a season-opener for the Rohit Sharma-led franchise.

Mumbai were handed a drubbing by the Bangalore openers, with a century partnership by the dynamic duo of skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli as they chased down the target of 172 with 22 balls to spare.

Despite a humiliating loss in the opening game, skipper Rohit Sharma will be excited about the performances of youngsters Nehal Wadhera and Tilak Varma, who put together a 50-run partnership.

Nehal Wadhera: An impressive debut

Nehal Wadhera made an impressive debut in the tournament against RCB with a brisk 13-ball 21. The confidence and flamboyance that the young batter from Punjab showed will make the MI management proud.

Wadhera came in when Mumbai were struggling at 48-4 after 8.5 overs and stitched together a crucial partnership with Tilak Varma.

The youngster also recorded the longest six in the ongoing edition, with a 101-meter hit over the boundary. Given his fearless attitude, he could well be the surprise package of IPL 2023.

Tilak Varma: Building on the performance from IPL 2022

Young Tilak Varma's strong showing in the opener is a good sign for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023

Tilak Varma made his debut in IPL 2022 with the Mumbai Indians and impressed everyone with his range of strokes as well as mature batting display. In the 2022 edition, Varma was the lone bright spot in an otherwise forgetful season for the Mumbai-based franchise, scoring an impressive 397 runs in 14 games with an average of 36.09 and a healthy strike-rate in excess of 131.

The left-handed middle-order batter will look to make this year even better and has already started with a bang in the first game.

Despite the loss, Varma's 84 off 46 deliveries will give skipper Rohit Sharma confidence for the upcoming games.

MI's knack for producing Indian superstars

Jasprit Bumrah rose through the Indian national team ranks courtesy of a strong showing in the IPL

Over the years, Mumbai Indians have had a knack of bringing in new Indian talents who have made giant strides in international cricket - with Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya being prime examples. Along with the duo, MI have also produced the likes of Krunal Pandya and Mayank Markande, among others.

With an abundance of international talent at their disposal already, a strong showing in the ongoing edition of the tournament from the duo of Varma and Wadhera will augur well for the Mumbai Indians.