Mumbai Indians (MI) found themselves eliminated from contention for the IPL 2024 playoffs after a dominant performance by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) with ten wickets to spare, achieving the target in just 9.4 overs on Wednesday.
SRH's resounding victory in Hyderabad propelled them to third place in the standings with 14 points, trailing behind Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, both with 16 points each. With LSG and Delhi Capitals (DC) set to face off on May 14, one of these teams will secure at least 13 points. Even if Mumbai Indians secures victories in their remaining two league matches, the maximum they can accumulate is 12 points, leaving them outside the top four. A similar fate awaits the team that suffers defeat on Thursday when Punjab Kings take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dharamsala.
MI commenced the season under the leadership of their new skipper, Hardik Pandya, but stumbled out of the gate with three consecutive losses. Despite rallying to win three of their subsequent four games, a subsequent streak of four defeats dashed their hopes of a playoff berth.
Jasprit Bumrah emerged as their standout performer, leading the wicket charts with 18 scalps in 12 games and maintaining an economy rate of 6.20. However, their remaining bowlers failed to maintain economical figures, while their batting unit struggled to make significant contributions, with no player amassing over 400 runs in 12 innings. Tilak Varma leads the batting charts with 384 runs at an impressive average of 42.66, followed by Suryakumar Yadav with 334 runs in nine innings. Rohit Sharma managed only 330 runs in 12 innings.
Hardik endured a lackluster season, tallying just 198 runs in 11 innings and claiming 11 wickets at an economy rate of 10.58. Despite rotating players such as Romario Shepherd, Mohammad Nabi, and Nuwan Thushara, MI failed to extract the best from their overseas contingent. Their spin department, in particular, proved to be a weak link, accounting for only 13 of their 68 total wickets in the tournament. While they managed to secure three victories in six home games, their performance on the road was lackluster, with their solitary win in five away games coming against Punjab Kings.
MI's premature exit from the competition extends their quest for a sixth IPL title, having previously lifted the trophy in 2019 and 2020. Since then, their playoff appearances have been scarce, making the cut only once in the last four seasons, in 2023, where they were ousted by Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2.
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