"The kind of squad MI had last year, they should have won the title" - Former Indian cricketer's huge statement on Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2025

Former Indian off spinner Harbhajan Singh opined that the kind of squad Mumbai Indians (MI) had assembled last year, they should have won the IPL. He, however, hinted that the players were perhaps not happy with each other, which may have reflected in on-field performances.

Mumbai Indians made a big decision to replace Rohit Sharma as captain with Hardik Pandya for the IPL 2024 season. While experts were divided over the move, many MI fans were enraged, constantly booing and humiliating Pandya during the IPL edition last year. The negativity seemed to affect the team as they finished last, with only four wins from 14 matches.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo ahead of IPL 2025, Harbhajan stated that, on paper, MI had the strongest side last season and should have won the title. While reflecting on Pandya's disastrous season as Mumbai Indians captain, he said:

"A captain is judged by how the team performs. When Hardik was the Gujarat Titans captain, the team was performing well, so he looked good as captain. The kind of squad MI had last year, they should have won the title. That's the kind of talent they had. The bowling had a few missing links, but the batting unit was probably the best in the league."

The 44-year-old urged the franchise to start IPL 2025 on a fresh note, putting behind all the disappointments and controversies of last season. He said:

"Somehow, they never got going [in IPL 2024]. Happy teams are winning teams. Maybe the players weren't happy with each other. But, I hope that is solved now, done and dusted. It's a new season and they all have to come together. If you look at this team - the kind of batting line-up they have, it's probably better than any other team in the tournament."

Despite the poor returns last year, the MI management has kept its faith in Pandya and has retained him as the leader for the upcoming season.

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A glance at Mumbai Indians' performance in IPL 2024

As mentioned earlier, MI won only four of their 14 matches in IPL 2024, finishing last in the points table. They began the season with three consecutive losses before registering their first win against Delhi Capitals (DC) by 29 runs at the Wankhede Stadium. Mumbai then beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by seven wickets in another home game.

Mumbai Indians, however, won only two of their remaining nine matches in IPL 2024. They ended a forgettable season with a 18-run defeat against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Wankhede Stadium.