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ABOUT MUMBAI INDIANS

Mumbai Indians have been the most prominent team in the Indian Premier League for most of the past decade. Mumbai Indians have been the focal point of the tournament and have been a crowd favourite for all the neutral fans.

Sachin Tendulkar is considered as the ‘GOD of Cricket’ was the icon for Mumbai Indians. Nothing more needs to be said when you have a local born player considered as the ‘best in the world’ representing your team. Every cricket fanatic has idolized Sachin Tendulkar at some point of time and that’s what made Mumbai Indians a household name even before the tournament started.

MI has won the IPL in 2013, 2015 and 2017 and furthermore the Champions League T20 in 2011 and 2013.

OWNERS

Mumbai Indians are owned by IndiaWin Sports Pvt. Ltd. which is a 100% subsidiary of Reliance Industries. Reliance Industries Ltd.(RIL) bought the Mumbai Indians franchise for a staggering amount of $ 111.9 million, making it the most expensive franchise in the league.

INITIATIVES

Mumbai Indians are well known for the social work carried out by the franchise. The Mumbai Indians franchise has been supporting underprivileged students through the Education For All (EFA) initiative since 2010. The franchise has supported more than 2,00,000 students by partnering with NGOs and giving an opportunity for them to learn through digital vans.

The EFA has been evolved to ESA i.e. Education and Sports for All. The ESA initiative is one of the initiatives undertaken by the Reliance Foundation, the goal is to combine education and sports. This initiative has impacted the lives of over 13 million children.

“ The ESA initiative seeks to provide holistic development through focus on education & sports and to enhance the quality of the sporting ecosystem by providing facilities, training, infrastructure, and equipment across multiple sporting properties through the year.”

IPL TRAJECTORY

Mumbai Indians found it very difficult to perform well during the first two seasons of IPL. The team finished 5th and 7th during the first two seasons respectively.

The teams’ fortunes took a turn for the better from the third season and Mumbai Indians proved their doubters wrong by making their way through to the playoffs for the first time and ended the season as runner ups, losing to the Chennai Super Kings by 22 runs.

Mumbai Indians continued to perform consistently but failed to win the tournament for the following two seasons as well, finishing 2nd and 3rd in the table respectively but failed to make it through to the finals on both occasions.

Mumbai Indians ended the chase for their maiden IPL trophy in 2013 as they took revenge by beating the Chennai Super Kings in the finals by 23 runs. The victory was a fitting tribute to Sachin Tendulkar who was playing his last IPL that year.

Mumbai Indians’ performance continued honing under the skilled leadership of Rohit Sharma in further seasons of the tournament. Young prodigies like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya helped Rohit in his new pursuit as a skipper, and they won the title again in 2015.

Mumbai Indians made a thumping score of 202 in the finals of 2015 by the assistance of 68 runs innings from Lendl Simmons as they once more vanquished CSK and asserted their supremacy in the competition.

Rohit Sharma led the Mumbai Indians to yet another victorious campaign during the 2017 season. MI beat Rising Pune Supergiants by 1 run in a very low scoring final.

WINNING MENTALITY

Despite the fact that Mumbai Indians lost its first four matches in 2015, in a typical Mumbaikar style they battled back and figured out how to pivot their fortunes, they won almost every game in their quest to win the competition. Mumbai met Chennai in the final for the third time and put on a monstrous score of 202, batting first. Thanks to the true excellence of their captain. Rohit Sharma (50 keeps running off 26 balls) and opener Lendl Simmons (68 keeps running off 45 balls) ensured the group won the match convincingly and were delegated victors for the second time in 3 seasons.

Mitchell McClenaghan was the pick of the bowlers in the last, getting 3/25, while Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh trapped two or three wickets each. Rohit Sharma was pronounced Man of the Match as he drove from the front and steadied the ship after the group lost a wicket in the absolute first finished.

Mumbai Indians won the IPL T20 and CL T20 double during the 2013 season under the captainship of Rohit Sharma.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Mumbai Indians overwhelmed the IPL by some extremely solid performances. While playing the IPL 2017, they won their 100th T20, turning into the first team to do so.

MI has played the most number of matches and their 58.28% is the most elevated winning rate among all the eight teams. The Mumbai Indians hold the record of restricting the opponents to the lowest score in the historical backdrop of IPL and furthermore has a record of biggest triumph by runs.

On the off chance that one goes for the individual performances, MI players are observed to be on roll all over the place. The captain, Rohit Sharma is placed as the third highest run scorer, most sixes and most catches as a fielder in the ten seasons of IPL. Rohit Sharma ranks only below Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli in the highest run scorers list.

In the bowling field, MI pacers and spinners have incomparable predominance. Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh hold the 1st and 3rd spot respectively in the list of best wicket-takers in the history of the Indian Premier League.

THE FORTRESS

The home ground of the team, Wankhede Stadium, is a standout amongst the most prestigious stadiums of India and further adds a pearl to its atmosphere. The Wankhede Stadium has been a part of India and Mumbai’s’ cricketing heritage since the 1970s. The Wankhede Stadium has hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup Final in 2011 and has witnessed homegrown legends like Vijay Merchant, Sunil Gavaskar, and ‘the little master’ Sachin Tendulkar rise through the ranks from their early days and make a name for themselves in various eras of cricketing history.

LOW POINTS

During the first season of the Indian Premier League in 2008, the then temporary captain of the team, Harbhajan Singh was banned from the tournament for slapping S.Sreesanth after the match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab. S.Sreesanth was Harbhajan Singhs’ team-mate in the national setup and was in the opposing team during the IPL.

In IPL 2014, Mumbai Indians’ superstar batsman Kieron Pollard was fined for his heated altercation with Mitchell Starc during the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium.

In the first two seasons of the IPL, the team relied heavily on the batting of JP Duminy and Tendulkar and Malingas’ bowling, leading to a poor performance in both the seasons. The team finished on fifth and seventh spot in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

FAN INFORMATION

The Mumbai Indians have one of the best fanbases in India and across the globe. The motto of “Duniya Hila Denge Hum” perfectly defines the atmosphere that their fans generate.

The Wankhede Stadium has become a fortress for the Mumbai Indians thanks to the unmatched support they get from the home crowd.

The theme song of the Mumbai Indians,”Duniya Hila Denge Hum” is depicted perfectly by the fans. The constant noise and chants make it very difficult for opposing teams to win at the Wankhede Stadium.

A fan-made song, “Akkha Mumbai Khelega” is played after every boundary and wicket.