Mumbai Indians were defeated once more in this IPL season, this time by Chennai Super Kings on Thursday, April 21. So far, the five-time IPL champion has suffered seven defeats in seven matches, making a turnaround nearly impossible. The franchise must win the remaining matches and hope that the other team leading the IPL 2022 suffers several significant defeats.
The best MI can hope for is to reclaim as much pride as possible while also beginning to plan for the future by assessing bench strength and providing more playing time to younger players and newcomers.
Lucknow Super Giants, a squad with an abundance of batting and bowling talent and an excellent track record in the tournament, pose a severe threat to the MI. One of the reasons for MI's deplorable performance was said to be their first loss in the opening match against Delhi Capitals, and MI hasn't made much progress since then, despite their worsening performance.
In the match, MI could deliver either poor bowling or miraculous batting. After the tense battle in the final over, MI's bowler finally crumbled under Dhoni's leadership with the help of Dwaine Pretorius.
All of MI's matches have been affected by batting and bowling deficiencies. The outcome of the game against Lucknow can be clearly anticipated if these problems are not resolved quickly. It will be difficult for the team's leadership to keep the entire group motivated due to the absence of several important players.
Some MI players that may play their final season
So far in IPL 2022, Mumbai Indians have used 18 of their players. Although the playoffs seem practically impossible for the team, there are still seven games to go, and they can seize this chance to enhance their play.
Several players from the five-time champion Mumbai Indians who must get a chance to play in the IPL last season are Tim David, Sanjay Yadav, Mayank Markhande, and Jaydev Unadakt.
One of MI's oddest moves so far was to bench Tim David after just two games. Sanjay Yadav was anticipated to play for Mumbai this year, but MI still has not decided when. He is a versatile cricketer who might provide a lot of balance to the team for MI in the future match. Besides him, Mayank Markhande is also a proper candidate. With his quick spinner, he has the potential to do well.
Besides the three players, Jaydev Unadakt, one of the most experienced left-hand fast bowlers in IPL, may also be an asset in upcoming matches. His time in the IPL has been a roller coaster. In the last three IPL seasons, he has only taken 18 wickets in 24 games, with a high economy rate. Unadakt needs 15 more wickets to get 100. If he fails to produce this year, it may be the last time we see the 30-year-old play IPL.
