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While Mumbai Indians’ chances of qualifying for the IPL 2024 playoffs appears unlikely with the five-time champions currently occupying the ninth spot on the points table with just six points to their name, a string of solid performances however, could change that.
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Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) are set for a second showdown in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) with the meeting taking place in the latter’s backyard, i.e. the Arun Jaitley Stadium, in the afternoon clash of the Sunday double-header.
MI had handed DC a convincing 29-run defeat in a high-scoring match at the Wankhede Stadium in their previous meeting of the season, in which West Indian all-rounder
Romario Shepherd starred in Mumbai’s victory
with an unbeaten 39 off just 10 deliveries, 32 of which came in the final over of the innings off Anrich Nortje’s bowling.
The two teams, however, enter the upcoming clash on the back of contrasting results; while
DC had managed to hand Gujarat Titans a four-run defeat
to collect their fourth win of the season while
MI suffered a nine-wicket rout
against the top-ranked Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur to suffer their fifth defeat.
The difference between the two teams is just two points but DC are the time that are on the rise, having won three out of their last four matches, while MI continue to underwhelm and have lost two of their last three encounters.
Mumbai had won the last of their five IPL titles in 2020, becoming only the second team after Chennai Super Kings to win back-to-back titles. The team, however, would fail to reach the playoffs in the next two editions — narrowly missing out in 2021 and finishing at the bottom of the table in 2022.
They would reach the knockouts in 2023 in what would turn out to be Rohit Sharma’s final season in charge and appeared set for another IPL final with CSK when they were
handed the knockout punch by GT in Qualifier 2
in Ahmedabad.
Mumbai Indians, however, appear a side beset with problems in all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s first season in charge, from the form of the captain as well as that of some of the other seniors to a perceived divide with the franchise that is attributed to Pandya replacing Rohit as leader in an abrupt manner following his blockbuster trade from the Titans, whom he had led for two seasons and helped them win the title on debut in 2022.
Will Mumbai Indians reach the playoffs in Pandya’s first season in charge? The situation appears unlikely as of Saturday, 27 April with the team occupying the ninth spot on the points table with just six points to their name. A string of solid performances however, could change that.
Mumbai Indians playoff scenarios
The one advantage that MI have heading into Saturday’s fixture in Delhi is that they have a game in hand compared to the other teams in the lower half of the points table. So they have six matches left to play in the remainder of the league stage that is set to run till 19 May.
A victory over DC on Saturday should not only take them past Punjab Kings, but even help them leapfrog DC and GT to the sixth position from where the playoffs zone should be a lot more visible. It will also take their points tally to eight.
While 12 points is the lowest that a team has qualified for the playoffs with, Sunrisers Hyderabad doing so in 2019, it was possible back when the IPL was an eight-team affair. Even then, qualifying with just six wins was an anomaly and teams typically needed seven wins to remain in contention for a top-four finish.
With the introduction of two new teams in GT and Lucknow Super Giants in 2022, the competition has become tougher and even 14 points might not be enough to guarantee a place in the knockouts anymore. That was the case last season when MI needed eight wins out of 14 to become the fourth and final team to qualify for the knockouts.
MI therefore will be hoping to win five out of their remaining six matches to stay in contention for the playoffs, which is easier said than done given the teams that they’re up against. Having already suffered a season double against RR, MI face Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders home and away, and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede after their match against DC on Saturday.
LSG, KKR and SRH have been among the top teams this season and currently find themselves in the top four with 10 points each with Kolkata at the second spot.
The only silver lining for MI is their solid head-to-head record against KKR, leading the Shreyas Iyer-led outfit 23-9 in 32 meetings since the inaugural edition. And the fact that half of their remaining fixtures will take place at home.
MI remaining fixtures:
vs Delhi Capitals in Delhi, 27 April
vs Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow, 30 April
vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai, 3 May
vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Mumbai on 6 May
vs Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kolkata on 11 May
vs Lucknow Super Giants in Mumbai on 17 May.