Mumbai Indians Weren’t Always A Dynasty

Published on: Aug 24, 2021

One may not have realized that the Mumbai Indians weren’t always the dominant force in cricket. However, the 2020 Indian Premier League champions are starting to become a dynasty in the world of competitive cricket. The Indians have won three of the last five championships, including five of the last eight.

Before the success, the team was founded in 2008 and it took about five years for this team to blossom into the competitive force that it stands today. When looking back on how the Indians got here, it should make you even more impressed.

The Early Struggles

In 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in Indian announced the foundation of the Indian Premier League. Just one year later, the Mumbai franchise was sold to Reliance Industries Ltd for $111.9 million, which made the Indians the most expensive franchise. However, online cricket betting did not have this team pegged as a favorite until much later in their franchise’s development.

The team’s first iconic star, Sachin Tendulkar, opened the inaugural season with a season ending injury. The team opened the inaugural season by losing four straight and newly appointed captain Harbhaja Singh was suspended for slapping Shanthakumaran Nair Sreesanth . The team went through three different captains that season and finished with a 7-7 overall record. The 2009 campaign wasn’t any better as the team finished 5-9 and missed the playoffs for a second straight season.

The Rise

The 2010 season saw the largest turnaround in the sport as the Indians finished as the league runner-up. The team started by signing Kieron Pollard in the players auction and signed Robin Singh as the new head coach. With a healthy Tendulkar and a supporting cast, the team won seven of their first eight games. Then, the Indians won three of their remaining six games and finished with 20 points to finish as the No. 1 seed. However, the team lost to the Chennai Super Kings by 22 runs in the final.

After that, the standard was set. The Indians qualified for the playoffs in 2011 and 2012 before winning their first league title. Singh resigned from his post, but has stayed with the team ever since. John Wright out of New Zealand took over as coach for two seasons, while Rohit Sharma has become an icon for the Indians, taking over as the team’s captain in 2013, while leading the team to four titles. In 2013, the team won 13 games and won the championship by 33 runs.

Dynasty

Coaches Ricky Ponting and Sri Lanka have combined for the best overall winning percentage over the last six seasons. The duo have led the Indians to a combined 56 wins and three titles. In 2015, the Indians started the season with four defeats, but rallied to come back and defeat the Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs in the final. Lendl Simmons used an injury to Corey Anderson to lead the Indians with 540 runs that season. In 2017, the Indians won 10 of 14 matches and led the league in runs.

In 2019, the Indians defeated Chennai by just one run in the final to win their fourth title in franchise history. The final saw a thriller ending. The Super Kings needed two runs off the last delivery, but bowler Lasith Malinga took a wicket on the last delivery. Then, the Indians defeated the Delhi Capitals by five wickets to win their fifth and league-leading title. The Indians are the Celtics, Yankees, and Patriots of cricket and are becoming the sports best dynasty ever.