The Legacy of Mumbai Indians: An IPL Dynasty

When we talk about the Indian Premier League (IPL), one team that always comes to mind is the Mumbai Indians (MI) Cricket Team, one of the best teams in the league. But, to put it simply, along with the CSK, Mumbai Indians is one of the greatest T20 franchise teams ever and has become synonymous with excellence in the league. From a slow start in the initial years to then showing dominance where no team could rival them, the team has shown the importance of good team management can help you lead titles. In this article by ZAP, this is the story of the Mumbai Indians, one of the IPL’s greatest teams ever!

Credit: India Today

The Inception - Mumbai Indians Owners and History:

Mumbai is one of the 8 original franchise cities announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that were supposed to be auctioned off for the first season of the IPL. Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries purchased the franchise at a bid for $111.9M (about Rs. 900 Crore in today’s value), the highest for any team in the league. They brought in The God, Sachin Tendulkar as the captain of the side for the 2008 season, but though the team couldn’t achieve anything big in the first season, the promise they showed helped them build a dynasty in the league for the years to come. The Mumbai Indians ownership was transferred to Indiawin Sports, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries. 

Credit: Times Now

Mumbai Indians IPL Journey:

MI started off under Sachin Tendulkar as the captain in the first season, but halfway through, he had to be ruled out and Harbhajan Singh took over captaincy duties. The team did pretty well, but missed out on the playoffs by one point, finishing fifth. Then in the coming years, they made a lot of improvements to their squad, and coaching staff and the efforts started showing in their performances. After finishing 7th in 2009, they reached the final in 2010, topping the points table, but couldn’t take the final step, losing to MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final. The subsequent season was good, with playoffs finishes, but no trophies to show. Then comes the 2013 season, where everything changed. A team that always stayed knocking on the door finally reached all the way. Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy in 2013 and under his leadership, MI beat CSK in a tough final to win the IPL trophy for the first time in franchise history. This IPL victory was like the start of a dominance in the league. In 2020 they built one of the best teams ever assembled in the league, steering through the season like it’s a cakewalk and winning their the 5th time, the joint most by any team. 

Credit: X

Mumbai Indians IPL Trophies:

MI have won IPL Titles with ease, dominating every season since 2013, and in the past 10 years, they have won 5 titles in all, about a trophy every other season. How crazy is that! There are teams, even after 15 years of existing are waiting to get their hands on the trophy but haven’t been able to do that even once, MI has shown how a well-synergised squad, team culture, and backend management can work wonders. 

Year	League Position	Standing
2008	5th	League stage
2009	7th	League stage
2010	1st	Runners-up
2011	3rd	Playoffs
2012	3rd	Playoffs
2013	2nd	Champions
2014	4th	Playoffs
2015	2nd	Champions
2016	5th	League stage
2017	1st	Champions
2018	5th	League stage
2019	1st	Champions
2020	1st	Champions
2021	5th	League stage
2022	10th	League stage
2023	4th	Playoffs

The Mumbai Indians Cups and Trophies Winning Formula:

Scouting and Auction Strategy:

Credit: Mumbai Indians

Indians have a knack for finding out the best young and bright talents that can fit their team well. Their auction strategy too is always astute, investing in players that are match-winners and unearthed hidden gems, building a balanced squad that can perform in all conditions.

Coaching and Mentorship:

Credit: Cricadium

When you have Sachin Tendulkar as the team Icon, Zaheer Khan as the mentor and Mahela Jayawardene, Mark Boucher and Shane Bond as a part of the coaching staff, you’ve got to achieve big. The coaching and mentorship has been crucial in developing players like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan and many other, who came in as youngsters, but now are important players of the Indian Cricket Team. 

Mumbai Indians Cricket Team Players and Legends:

As we talked about it earlier, MI have always invested in prospective young talents with high ceilings and this strategy has worked wonders for them. In the last season (2023), Arjun Tendulkar, Tilak Varma, Hrithik Shokeen, Dewald Brevis, Akash Madhwal, and Kumar Kartikeya all youngsters played for them, often being picked over senior players. In the past, they have had players like Robin Uthappa, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Australian Team Captain Ricky Ponting, Lasith Malinga and many more. You can see, that they have always had the right blend of youngsters and seasoned veterans. 

Sachin Tendulkar:

Credit: 100MB

One of the greatest players of all time, Sachin Tendulkar was the Indians’ first player and captain. Though Sachin Tendulkar’s IPL career wasn’t very glamorous, he managed to win in the 2013 season, after which he retired from the league as the team legend. 

Rohit Sharma: 

Credit: Times Now

Without a doubt, the franchise’s best player ever, Rohit Sharma led MI to 5 IPL trophies, the joint most for any IPL captain. Originally brought in from Deccan Chargers as a young and exciting batsman, he took over captaincy duties in the 2013 season, and we all know what happened next is history. Even with the bat, he did wonders scoring important runs in important matches. His half-centuries in the 2015 and the 2020 final, helped Mumbai grab the trophies in the respective years. He is also the player with the fourth most runs in the league’s history.  For some, he is the greatest IPL captain ever, for what he achieved with the team. 

Keiron Pollard:

Credit: News18

Keiron Pollard was brought into the team in 2010 and through the years, he’s been the backbone of the franchise. He was a dependable middle-order batsman, who could smash the ball out of the park at will, while also being able to hold on and play a smart and composed innings with the bat. His knock against CSK in the 2013 final helped MI post a fighting total on the board which they later defended. Along with his batting technique, he was a completely different beast on the field. He could easily chip in 1-2 overs whenever required with his medium pace, but his fielding is what we all remember him from. The catches that he took were simply breathtaking, something that you might never have seen. His catch in the 2014 edition against Rajasthan Royals might be the greatest piece of fielding ever. He retired after a poor 2022 season as one of the best players of the team ever and has taken up the role of the batting coach for the team. 

Jasprit Bumrah:

Credit: ESPN Cricinfo

Jasprit Bumrah was a kid when he burst onto the scene at Mumbai Indians in 2013. Known for his unorthodox bowling action, it was not very late that people started realizing his potential and how good his was with the leather ball. He cemented his position as the team’s leader in the fast bowling department in the next two seasons and then even went on to make his national debut for his performances. His pinpoint yorkers are his trademark and though he does feature in the most wickets or the purple cap race in every season, the pressure that he builds by his miserly bowing, with his bowling variations, in the powerplay overs and the death overs is invaluable. 

Read about some more IPL Legends:

AB de Villiers | Suresh Raina

Mumbai Indians (MI) home ground: The Wankhede Stadium:

Credit: Tribune India

The Wankhede Stadium is one of the best stadiums in India as is the home ground for the Mumbai Indians Cricket team and Mumbai Cricket Team which plays in the Ranji Trophy. The 32,000-seater stadium is known for the atmosphere in IPL games. A crowd that never gets tired of shouting and cheering for their team, the scenic location by the Arabian Sea, and a home team of MI’s quality, that’s the perfect combination for a super exciting game of cricket. At the Wankhede Stadium, MI has played in 77 games. Of those, they have won 48 games and lost 29, having a 60% winning rate.

Read about some more cricket stadiums

Chinnaswamy Stadium | Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium | MCA Stadium, Pune

Mumbai Indians Jersey, T-shirt, Logo, Cap, Flag, and other merchandise:

Credit: Pinterest

The team's logo is the Sudarshan Chakra, also known as the Razor. Interestingly, the team was initially considered to be named "Mumbai Razors" before the team legend, Sachin Tendulkar suggested the iconic "Mumbai Indians." The Sudarshan Chakra in the logo represents precision and the unstoppable force that the team aims to be on the cricket field. The MI jersey is a striking combination of blue and gold. The primary color is a vibrant blue, symbolizing the team's strong spirit and determination. Golden stripes are on either side of the jersey, adding a touch of elegance to their look. The team's motto, "Duniya Hila Denge Hum..." (We will rock the world), reflects the team's bold spirits and the song has been a fan favourite ever since its release. 

Mumbai Indians (MI) Iconic Rivalries:

Mumbai Indians vs CSK (MI vs CSK):

Credit: English Jagran

The El Clasico of the IPL, is where the two most dominant teams, the Chennai Super Kings and MI, have faced off against one another most times than any other team. With five IPL Trophies each, they are the two most successful franchises in league history. In four IPL finals between the two teams in 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2019, Mumbai won three times to Chennai's one in 2010.

Mumbai Indians vs RCB (MI vs RCB):

Credit: myKhel

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. MI is one of the biggest and flashiest rivals in the league. It is the faceoff between the Hitman and the King of Cricket. This game features not just two teams but the top cities of Bangalore and Mumbai. Because of their star-studded lineups, the two teams have produced some of the finest games the league has ever seen. Of the 32 games played thus far, MI have won 19 and Royal Challengers 13, respectively.

Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders (MI vs KKR):

Credit: The Times of India

MI vs KKR is once again a fierce rivalry between two IPL Champions. Though Mumbai has always had an upper hand in the rivalry winning 22 of the 29 and KKR with only 7, the matches they play are pure entertainment. The Rivalry got really famous in the initial years, when fans got to see Sachin Tendulkar going up against Sourav Ganguly, one that no one had ever imagined, but now because of MI’s domination, the sheen of the rivalry has faded away. 

Mumbai Indians Women’s Teams:

Credit: Hindustan Times

The first season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) was played in 2023 and the tournament was a big hit amongst Indian cricket fans and a big boost for women’s cricket. The Mumbai franchise for the league was purchased for ₹912.99 crore (US$110 million) by Indiawin Sports for, the owners of the MI mens team. They signed 18 talented players during the player auction in February 2023, including the Indian Women’s Cricket Team captain Harmanpreet Kaur as their captain and Charlotte Edwards as head coach. Their journey in the tournament was remarkable, winning it convincingly. After a strong performance in the group stage, they went on to defeat UP Warriorz in the eliminator and triumphed over Delhi Capitals in the final. The team's success adds a new chapter to the cricketing legacy of Mumbai. 

Conclusion:

The Mumbai Indians team have been an amazing team throughout the history of IPL. Their only opponent who has challenged them over the years has be Chennai Super Kings. But the past three seasons for MI were very underwhelming, only qualifying for the playoffs once in three years. But, if you had to bet for one team who’s going to build a formidable squad for the next season, it’ll be safe to bet on MI. So, to all the MI Paltan reading this, let’s sing Duniya Hila Denge Hum and gear up for the upcoming season. 

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