After finishing the IPL 2024 season at the bottom of the points table, Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mark Boucher looked back and spoke his heart on a number of challenges the team faced over the last two months. After losing to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Mumbai’s Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season came to an abrupt end, finishing last in the IPL standings. As MI’s disastrous season ended in the IPL 2024, Boucher was asked about the future of former skipper Rohit Sharma with the team and the head coach said that the opener is a master of his own destiny.

In MI’s last match of the season, opener Rohit showed the erratic nature of T20I by going through a slump after a bright start to the season.

“For me, he is a master of his own destiny. It’s a big auction next season who knows what’s going to happen?” Boucher said in a post-match press conference.

Talking about the former MI skipper’s performance, Boucher said it was a season of two halves for the opener as he had a strong start to the season and hammered the ball well into the netting. The head coach also said that Rohit was headed in the right direction so that we could run some excellent races.

“I had a discussion with Rohit Sharma last night. We reviewed the season this year. After that, I asked him what’s next? and Rohit said ‘the World Cup'”, he added.

In the Indian Premier League on Friday, Rohit broke a run of poor scores when he struck an incredible 68 off 38 deliveries in the Mumbai match against LSG.

“It’s almost a season of two halves for him. He started the season well and hit the ball sweetly in the nets. He got a superb 100 against CSK as well. So we honestly thought he was on a great path for us to go out there and get some good runs,” Boucher said.

In a season beset by controversy for the MI, Rohit’s batting performance was as inconsistent. Rohit’s fortunes collapsed after he made a promising start to the season with the bat, which featured a century against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but in his next six appearances, the opener was dismissed on four single-digit scores.

“Unfortunately, it’s just the nature of T20 as well. He went out there trying to be aggressive, the new way of playing as an opening batter. He got a few low scores, which unfortunately didn’t help us in that particular situation either. But tonight, he finished off with a fantastic knock as well. So yeah, it is a season of two halves for him,” he added.

MI fans had mixed emotions on a bittersweet evening at the Wankhede Stadium. While they were thrilled with Rohit’s explosive fifty but also witnessed their team suffer their tenth loss of the year and drop to the bottom of the points table.

Coming to the match, Rohit and Naman Dhir’s fiery knocks went in vain as MI conceded an 18-run loss against LSG in the IPL 2024 match at the Wankhede Stadium.

After winning the toss MI sent LSG to bat first but that did not go in their favour as KL Rahul (55 runs from 41 balls, 3 fours and 3 sixes) and Nicholas Pooran (75 runs from 29 balls, 5 fours and 8 sixes) played a fiery knock in the first inning. Marcus Stoinis (28 runs from 22 balls, 5 fours) and Ayush Badoni (22* runs from 10 balls, 1 four and 2 sixes) were the other standout batters for LSG as they propelled the visitors to 214/6.

In the run chase, the hosts had a stupendous start while chasing a 215-run target but after the end of the fourth over, rain played a spoilsport for which the game was halted for a few minutes. However, that did not break the MI openers’ momentum as Rohit Sharma (68 runs from 38 balls, 10 fours and 3 sixes) and Dewald Brevis (23 runs from 20 balls, 1 four and 2 sixes) played a partnership of 88 runs.

Naman Dhir’s (62* runs from 28 balls, 4 fours and 5 sixes) stunning knock in the later half of the run chase shed a ray of hope on the MI dugout as they thought the hosts could win the match but he failed to clinch a win in the end and conceded a 18-run loss.

After the victory against Mumbai Indians in their last fixture of the Indian Premier League 2024, Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul said on Friday that he was disappointed with the team’s overall performance in the ongoing 17th edition of the cash-rich league. Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir’s fiery knocks went in vain as MI conceded an 18-run loss against LSG in the IPL 2024 match at the Wankhede Stadium. The wicketkeeper-batter asserted that at the beginning of the ongoing season, he really fealt that LSG had a strong team with most bases covered.

He further said that the Lucknow franchise met with a lot of injuries in the ongoing 17th edition of the cash-rich league.

“Very disappointing. At the beginning of the season, I really felt we had a strong team and had most bases covered. A couple of injuries – happen to every team. We didn’t play well enough collectively. Today was a really good performance. This is the kind of game we wanted to play more. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that. Really happy for them. The franchise has invested a lot of time and energy with them (Indian pacers in LSG). It’s not just two months in the year. We sent Mayank and Yudhvir to South Africa to train with Morne Morkel. Hard work for them has paid off, but the franchise and the team have worked a lot with them. I’m not sure,” Rahul said in the post-match presentation.

The 32-year-old player further stated that this season he has learnt a lot about his batting and what he has to do to get back into the Indian team.

“There’s not much T20 cricket coming up now. It’s been a season where I’ve learnt a lot about my own batting and what I need to do to get back in the team. Maybe middle-order, maybe not. We would’ve ideally wanted him (Pooran) to bat higher, but with how the team’s lined up, we want our senior international players to bat in positions where they can absorb pressure. Didn’t want our two overseas batters to bat close together. I’m on my father-in-law’s team now. We’ll both be cheering for Sharma Ji Ka Beta in the World Cup,” the LSG skipper added.

Recapping the match, after winning the toss MI sent LSG to bat first but that did not go in their favour as KL Rahul (55 runs from 41 balls, 3 fours and 3 sixes) and Nicholas Pooran (75 runs from 29 balls, 5 fours and 8 sixes) played a fiery knock in the first inning. Marcus Stoinis (28 runs from 22 balls, 5 fours) and Ayush Badoni (22* runs from 10 balls, 1 four and 2 sixes) were the other standout batters for LSG as they propelled the visitors to 214/6.

Piyush Chawla led the MI bowling attack as he picked up three wickets in his four-over spell.

In the run chase, the hosts had a stupendous start while chasing a 215-run target but after the end of the fourth over, rain played a spoilsport for which the game was halted for a few minutes. However, that did not break the MI openers’ momentum as Rohit Sharma (68 runs from 38 balls, 10 fours and 3 sixes) and Dewald Brevis (23 runs from 20 balls, 1 four and 2 sixes) played a partnership of 88 runs.

Naman Dhir’s (62* runs from 28 balls, 4 fours and 5 sixes) stunning knock in the later half of the run chase shed a ray of hope on the MI dugout as they thought the hosts could win the match but he failed to clinch a win in the end and conceded a 18-run loss on Friday.

Naveen-ul-Haq and Ravi Bishnoi led the LSG bowling as both of them picked up two wickets in their respective overs.

After the win, LSG ended their IPL 2024 campaign in sixth place in the standings with 14 points. While MI had a season to forget as they finished at the bottom of the table with 8 points.

MI captain Hardik Pandya was penalised Rs. 30 lakh and a one-man ban.© BCCI

After his side’s disappointing 18-run loss against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya said they did not play good quality cricket on Friday. Hardik scored 16 runs from 13 balls at a strike rate of 123.08 while chasing the 215-run target given by LSG. Speaking after the match, Pandya said his side failed to display a quality performance in the IPL 2024 and it cost them a season. He added it is too early to point out what went wrong for MI.

“Quite difficult. Did not play good quality cricket, eventually costed us the whole season. It’s a professional world. Have to always come out and put our best foot forward. But yes, as a group we could not play quality cricket or smart cricket. Too early to point out what went wrong. The whole season kind of went wrong. We can pass this game as another one (that went wrong),” Pandya said.

Recapping the match, after winning the toss MI sent LSG to bat first but that did not go in their favour as KL Rahul (55 runs from 41 balls, 3 fours and 3 sixes) and Nicholas Pooran (75 runs from 29 balls, 5 fours and 8 sixes) played a fiery knock in the first inning. Marcus Stoinis (28 runs from 22 balls, 5 fours) and Ayush Badoni (22* runs from 10 balls, 1 four and 2 sixes) were the other standout batters for LSG as they propelled the visitors to 214/6.

Piyush Chawla led the MI bowling attack as he picked up three wickets in his four-over spell.

In the run chase, the hosts had a stupendous start while chasing a 215-run target but after the end of the fourth over, rain played a spoilsport for which the game was halted for a few minutes. However, that did not break the MI openers’ momentum as Rohit Sharma (68 runs from 38 balls, 10 fours and 3 sixes) and Dewald Brevis (23 runs from 20 balls, 1 four and 2 sixes) played a partnership of 88 runs.

Naman Dhir’s (62* runs from 28 balls, 4 fours and 5 sixes) stunning knock in the later half of the run chase shed a ray of hope on the MI dugout as they thought the hosts could win the match but he failed to clinch a win in the end and conceded a 18-run loss on Friday.

Naveen-ul-Haq and Ravi Bishnoi led the LSG bowling as both of them picked up two wickets in their respective overs.

After the win, LSG ended their IPL 2024 campaign in sixth place in the standings with 14 points. While MI had a season to forget as they finished at the bottom of the table with 8 points.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is the pinnacle prize for any international cricketer in the shortest format of the game. Right from MS Dhoni to Daren Sammy to Aaron Finch and Jos Buttler, they all along with Younis Khan and Lasith Malinga had the honour of captaining their respective teams to the T20 World Cup title. Come June 1, and 20 teams will be in a battle for the entire month to decide who would win the prestigious Men’s T20 World Cup silverware. For some of the players, it could become the last chance to have a shot at winning the title.

Here’s a look at some cricketers who could potentially be playing their last Men’s T20 World Cup:

Rohit Sharma (India)

The India captain has been playing T20Is since 2007 and played handy knocks in India’s title-winning run in South Africa. Now, after having taken India to a runners-up finish in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, Rohit would be itching to go one step further through the upcoming T20I showpiece.

But Rohit’s form in second half of IPL 2024 has been a concern, a season where he’s not captaining Mumbai Indians anymore. In his last seven innings this season, the-37-year-old has been out of sorts and has amassed 88 runs at a strike rate of 104.8 and average of 12.6.

With India having lots of young batting talent and soon to burst on the big stage, Rohit will probably treat this World Cup as his last hope of claiming his hands at a white-ball silverware by leading India to glory in the Caribbean and USA.

Virat Kohli (India)

If there is one player in the Indian team who’s desperate to win a global title alongside, it’s the talismanic Virat Kohli. Though he has winners medals from the 2011 Men’s ODI World Cup at home and 2013 Champions Trophy, Kohli would be aiming to have a shot at winning the T20 World Cup to complete his set of medals in white-ball cricket.

The signs are there as Kohli, 35, is in stellar form in the ongoing IPL 2024 season and is leading run-making charts in the tournament. He averages 81.5 in T20 World Cups and has two Player of the Tournament awards too, which means chances are bright for him to do the bulk of scoring for India in upcoming World Cup.

Though his strike rate and scoring effectiveness against spin has been a major talking point, Kohli did show through his 92 against Punjab Kings that he’s adding shots like slog-sweep to counter that, which is a massive news for India.

David Warner (Australia)

The aggressive left-handed opening batter has been one of the biggest players for Australia since 2009. From there, Warner has two ODI World Cup winners medals, as well as one each from T20 World Cup and World Test Championship. Warner right now is on the swansong of his cricketing career, after retiring from Tests and ODIs earlier this year.

Though he hasn’t been in greatest of form for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 and has missed a lot of games due to injury, Warner, 37, would be itching to sign off from international cricket on a high with the T20 World Cup silverware.

Moeen Ali (England)

An explosive left-handed batter who can bat anywhere in the line-up and doubles up as a handy off-spin bowler, Moeen has a wealth of experience in terms of playing T20 cricket, mainly as a floater. He won the 2022 T20 World Cup and has a runner-up finish against his name in 2016.

Moeen, 36, had gone back into Test cricket retirement after last year’s Ashes and was also rumoured to quit ODIs for prolonging his T20 career. With many younger crop of players coming through the ranks in England, the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup could be his last global appearance in the shorter format.

Quinton de Kock (South Africa)

The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter had retired from Tests at the end of 2021 and signed off from the ODI format after last year’s World Cup in India, where he struck four centuries for South Africa in their semifinal finish.

Of late, de Kock hadn’t been in best of form in T20s, having had a run in the BBL and SA20, though there’s been some improvement on that in the ongoing IPL 2024. If South Africa, the perennial underachievers, are to finally win a global trophy through the upcoming T20 World Cup, de Kock will have to play a crucial role in it if he signs off from international cricket later.

Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) became the first side to be knocked out in the IPL 2024 season. The Mumbai-based franchise entered the competition under a new skipper, Hardik Pandya, and unfortunately, the Indian star all-rounder couldn’t replicate his Gujarat Titans success this year at MI. The star-studded Mumbai side lost their ninth game of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on Saturday and are currently reeling at the ninth position on the points table with only four wins in 13 games so far.

The power-packed batting unit didn’t glue up to perform well with the bat in one of the most explosive seasons this year. The top order led by veteran Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan has fired only in bits and pieces, while the middle order comprising Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya looked inconsistent throughout the season.

Despite Jasprit Bumrah’s stellar performances with the ball, the bowling unit has also looked clueless, leaking runs for most of the tournament. The spin department consisting of Piyush Chawla, Mohammad Nabi, and Shreyas Gopal didn’t make a difference either.

This year, MI had a captaincy change that sparked controversy, with Hardik taking over for Rohit. The franchise’s fans did not take it well, even booing the all-rounder in the first few games at the Wankhede Stadium.

The captaincy swap left the team divided and scattered which also affected the dressing room atmosphere. Hence, it led the renowned MI side to their worst-ever IPL season in the tournament’s history.

Well, the franchises are bound to have a bad season once in a while but let’s discuss what has haunted Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2024 season under new skipper Hardik Pandya.

MI’s legacy

Once upon a time in the late 2010s, there was a power-packed Mumbai Indians side that could beat any T20 XI in the world.

The Mumbai-based franchise became one of the strongest sides under skipper Rohit Sharma’s helm and went on to lift the IPL title record five times – 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.

Apart from IPL, Mumbai has also clinched the Champions League T20 title twice in 2011 and 2013.

The franchise built its core squad around captain Rohit Sharma which comprised the likes of Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock and Trent Boult.

But, for the past few years, MI has looked rusty after losing its core group of players since the end of the 2021 IPL season. They have only made the playoffs once (2023) in the last four seasons including the ongoing IPL 2024.

Hardik taking over leadership duties for Rohit

After a couple of below-par seasons from the team, MI owners might have brought in Hardik Pandya for Rohit Sharma as captain keeping the former’s successful campaigns at Gujarat Titans in mind.

In November 2023, MI traded all-rounder Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in an all-cash deal through the trading window. This transaction provided the necessary funds for MI to finalize another all-cash deal with Gujarat Titans (GT) to acquire the services of Hardik Pandya.

This can also be termed as a tactical move by the franchise considering the team’s future and Rohit edging closer to the end of his career.

Even mathematically, Rohit Sharma is one of the most successful captains in the IPL history with 89 wins in 158 games for MI, boosting a win percentage of 56.

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya’s stint as Gujarat Titans’ captain has also mesmerized the world as the two-year-old franchise reached the IPL finals in 2022 (champions) and 2023 consecutively.

As GT’s captain, Hardik had won 22 of the 31 matches he played for the Ahmedabad-based side. The star all-rounder boosted a magnificent win percentage of 71 which caught the eyes of MI’s management.

What’s wrong with Hardik’s captaincy in IPL 2024?

MI under Hardik Pandya looked unsettled in their IPL 2024 opener against GT where they failed to complete an easy run chase in Ahmedabad. Except for Jasprit Bumrah (20 wickets) none of the Mumbai star players have been consistent this year.

Even Hardik’s own performances didn’t help this season; having managed only 200 runs with the bat he is yet to score a half-century. While the fast bowler in him has probably delivered 11 wickets in as many innings.

There might be numerous factors for the downfall of Mumbai Indians this season but former IPL star batter AB de Villiers reckons Hardik Pandya’s captaincy style as one of the major reasons for MI’s collapse.

“The captaincy style of Hardik Pandya is quite bravado. It’s ego-driven in a way, chest out,” de Villiers said in a recent video on his YouTube channel. “I don’t think how he walks on the field is always genuine, but he has decided that is his way of captaincy. Almost like MS (Dhoni). Cool, calm, collective, always got your chest out. But when you play with a lot of experienced players, guys who have been around for ages… They don’t buy into that. It worked at GT, where it was a younger team. Sometimes, inexperienced players love to follow that kind of leadership.”

Furthermore, the RCB legend shared his personal experience playing under Graeme Smith in the National team.

“I remember Graeme Smith. He was out there for the team. All I needed to do as a youngster was to follow. Now there’s a Rohit (Sharma), there’s a (Jasprit) Bumrah. They go like, ‘All we need you to be is calm. Give us a bit of input on how to win matches. We don’t need the bravado. I’m not having a go at Hardik. I love watching him play. I love him putting out his chest because I was like that. I believed that as a batter, sometimes you’ve got to fake it to make it,” de Villiers added.

As per a report, the senior MI players have expressed their views to the coaching staff on the way the team is being led and their perspectives on the team’s underwhelming results.

What’s next for MI?

With the top-four spots out of reach, Mumbai Indians will only play for pride in their final league game against Lucknow Super Giants. While there are a lot of learnings and takeaways for the much-important mega-auction ahead of their next season in 2025.

Mumbai Indians (MI) are gearing up to clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the upcoming Match 67 of the Indian Premier League, 2024, at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, scheduled for May 17 at 07:30 PM IST.

Match Preview

Previewing the match, Mumbai Indians find themselves languishing at the bottom of the points table, having garnered a mere eight points from their 13 encounters. Lucknow Super Giants, on the other hand, sit seventh with 12 points, having played the same number of matches.

Reflecting on their recent performances, MI stumbled in their last outing against Kolkata Knight Riders suffering a defeat. In contrast, LSG faced a similar fate against Delhi Capitals. Noteworthy fantasy performances in these encounters include Ishan Kishan’s 71 fantasy points for Mumbai and Arshad Khan’s impressive tally of 102 fantasy points for Lucknow.

Historical clashes

Analysing their head-to-head encounters, Mumbai have struggled against Lucknow failing to notch up favourable results in the past as MI have won only once against LSG. Considering recent trends and our analysis, LSG are favoured to clinch victory in this encounter. Mumbai’s bowling unit has been the cornerstone of their fantasy points accumulation, while the all-rounders have been the primary contributors for the Super Giants.

In their previous clash earlier this season, Marcus Stoinis shone brightly for LSG, emerging as the Man of the Match with an exceptional display, racking up 122 fantasy points. Meanwhile, Nehal Wadhera led the charge for Mumbai Indians with 62 fantasy points.

Players to watch out for –

1. KL Rahul:

A dependable top-order batter and wicket-keeper, the LSG-skipper has amassed 465 runs in 13 matches at an average of 35.7.

2. Jasprit Bumrah:

The right-arm fast bowler has been lethal, claiming 20 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 16.8. He is in contention for the Purple Cap this season.

3. Marcus Stoinis:

A versatile performer, Stoinis has contributed significantly with the bat and ball, scoring 360 runs at an average of 32.7 and bagging four wickets at an average of 43.5.

4. Suryakumar Yadav:

Another reliable batter, the home boy has notched up 345 runs in 10 matches at an impressive average of 38.3.

5. Hardik Pandya:

Known for his explosive batting, Hardik has also made crucial contributions with the ball, claiming 11 wickets in 13 matches.

6. Naveen-ul-Haq:

The medium-fast bowler has been effective, scalping 12 wickets in nine matches at an average of 26.8. Naveen-ul-Haq is the leading wicket-taker for LSG this season.

Rohit Sharma (L) and Virat Kohli© AFP

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) nearing its conclusion, Indian cricketers are set to shift gears and start preparations for the T20 World Cup 2024. With Rohit Sharma leading the side, the Indian team would hope to go all the way in the marquee event, unlike the ODI World Cup last year where a defeat in the final against Australia ended the big dream. While Team India has the star power in all departments of the game, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh has urged the team to play as unit, putting ‘we’ in front of ‘I’.

In a chat on Star Sports, Harbhajan Singh recalled how senior players rallied around MS Dhoni during the ICC World T20 in 2007, giving him ample support and guidance to succeed as a unit.

“Not many people know, Dhoni was a very new captain, so he needed that support from all of us. Before matches against teams like Australia, New Zealand, and England, our core group would get together during the game to strategize for the next few overs. For example, in a match against Australia, I bowled the crucial 17th or 18th overs because if we managed to give away only 4 runs, it saved us a lot,” said Harbhajan.

“Back then, batters didn’t score 25 runs in an over unlike today. The decision-making was always a team effort. When you play together as a united team, you win more competitions. Dhoni was a great listener, taking collective decisions that benefited the team. It was never about individual performances but about playing as ‘we’,” he added.

Harbhajan asked if the Indian team, under Rohit Sharma, could do something similar and achieve collective success.

“Similarly, the question now is, can Rohit Sharma do it? Rohit is not alone; it’s about ‘we’. If we play as a united team, thinking about collective success rather than individual achievements, then we can win. But if we only focus on personal goals, things become difficult. It’s all about the ‘we’ mentality, and that’s when things come to life,” said Bhajji.

MI vs LSG LIVE Scorecard© BCCI