How many times have Mumbai Indians lost the opening match of an IPL season?

Few things in cricket are as constant as the Mumbai Indians (MI) losing their opening game of the IPL. And the side lived up to that reputation again, going down in their 2024 season opener against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Ahmedabad on March 24.

Winning the toss and bowling first, MI restricted the home side to a manageable 168/6 in 20 overs. However, they lost the plot in the final five overs of their run-chase to go down by six runs.

The defeat had fans wondering when MI last won a season opener and how many times they have suffered defeat.

For starters, the franchise hasn't tasted victory in the opening game since 2013, making their latest defeat the 12th in a row. MI fans will be surprised to know that the team was surprisingly excellent in their campaign openers before that, winning in four straight seasons from 2009 to 2012. However, they also lost the opening encounter in the inaugural IPL in 2008.

Their last win in a season opener came against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) when they beat them by eight wickets in 2012.

All that means MI have now lost an astounding 13 out of their 17 season openers and have also lost the first game during all five title runs.

"Not an issue, 13 games to go" - Hardik Pandya

MI skipper Hardik Pandya remained confident about the team's chances despite losing their customary opening game against GT.

The all-rounder returned to Ahmedabad to play against the team he captained in 2022 and 2023, creating a lukewarm reception throughout the match. Hardik was traded to MI from GT at his discretion in the off-season.

At the post-match presentation after the defeat, he said:

"Obviously we backed ourselves to chase those 42 runs but it was one of those days when we see the score quite less compared to what it could have been in five overs, I think we lost little bit of momentum there. It feels good to be back because this is one stadium where you can enjoy and feel the atmosphere quite lively and obviously the crowd was full and they got a good game as well. Not an issue, 13 games to go."

Hardik had an outing to forget, conceding 30 runs in his three overs and then batting as low as No.7 in the run-chase. He raced to 11 off 3 but was dismissed off the fourth ball of the final over, with MI still needing nine runs.

He will look for his first win as MI captain when they take on the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in an away game on Wednesday, March 27.