IPL 2022 | GT vs MI | Plots Mumbai Indians missed this year

Gujarat Titans (GT) will take on Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 51st match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. While GT has been a permanent name at the top of the points table this year, MI has been languishing at the bottom of the table from the very beginning. What needs to be seen is if MI has that element of surprise where they can stun the table toppers.

Losing eight of their nine matches, MI is already out of the race to the summit. But what are the reasons that the most successful team in the tournament's history is going through a terrible time? Let us look at some plots that MI missed this year.

1. Spending INR 15.25 Cr for Ishan Kishan: The amount MI spent on Ishan Kishan proved to be even more costly for the five-time champions once the tournament got underway. In the first two matches, Kishan scored 135 runs from 91 balls at a strike rate of 148.35. The general talk going around at that stage was that he is proving to be cost-effective for MI.

But as he began to lose his touch, everybody started to get an idea about the loopholes in the auction strategy of MI. After the first two matches, Ishan scored 90 runs from 111 deliveries at a strike rate of 81.81. The fact that they spent so much on the player did not let them look at other options even when he is going through a lean patch.

MI could have bought two other batters for the same price they spent for Ishan. So breaking the bank for the dashing southpaw not only cost them a huge sum of money, but it also cost them the team balance.

2. Not Backing Tim David: Tim David was bought by MI for a price of INR 8.25 Cr. But the team did not back him enough. In the first two matches, he scored 13 runs off 11 deliveries. His strike rate of 118.18 in the two matches was way lower than his T20 career strike rate of 159.0.

But the team management did not back him after two matches and dropped him immediately. He was not allowed enough time to get adjusted to the Indian conditions.

In the comeback match against RR, David scored 20 runs off 9 deliveries at a strike rate of 222.22. Thus, MI missed the plot of developing David into a powerful finisher not giving him enough chances. However, they should play him in the remaining matches of their campaign and give him a feel of the big stage. This would allow him to come back stronger next season, having an idea of what to expect in the tournament.

3. Not being able to see beyond certain options: Daniel Sams was bought by MI to add dynamism to their squad. His batting strike rate of 150.2 in T20 cricket and a bowling average of 24.3 was why MI spent INR 2.60 Cr for him. But in IPL 2022, he has given away runs at an economy rate of 10.48 and has picked 7 wickets in 6 matches. With the bat also he has just scored 21 runs at an average of 7.0. Despite Sams not being in the best of forms, MI gave him 6 matches out of nine.

MI did not show enough confidence in their bench strength. They could have looked to give players like Arjun Tendulkar and Rahul Buddhi chances and see how the young players performed. Instead, they backed a player who cost them the match against KKR. The one-dimensional thinking in the case of team selection is a plot MI team management missed. 

4. Absence of a death-over specialist bowler: The biggest problem that MI faced this year was not having a proper death-over specialist bowler except Jasprit Bumrah. They spent INR 8 Cr to buy Jofra Archer, whose unavailability for IPL 2022 was known way before the auction. The team owner termed this buy as a future investment. But spending so much on a player who will not be playing for the whole tournament was a surprising strategy. This made MI compromise on buying a death-over bowling partner for Bumrah.

Let us look at how the bowlers they have used in IPL 2022 have performed in the death-overs this season. 

 MI Bowlers in Death Overs in IPL 2022

The problem in the death bowling efforts of MI is quite evident. The fact that Bumrah has not picked up enough wickets for them has been their biggest problem. The other bowlers who have provided wickets to the team have been way too expensive. The trouble for the team was not in one or two matches. They faced this issue throughout this campaign.

So, buying Archer for a hefty amount is a plot they missed this year. But it must also be kept in mind that if next year Archer fires big it will be seen as a masterstroke. Still thinking about the future before addressing the current issue will be seen as a plot they missed this year. It would have been a great strategy if they had their hole of death bowling covered for the season and then went for Archer.

5. Lack of quality spinners: MI lacked a quality spinner in their team this season. They released Rahul Chahar and substituted him with Murugan Ashwin. Ashwin has bowled at an economy rate of 7.80 and has picked up 6 wickets in 6 matches. He was decent in his efforts but was not effective enough as the lead spinner of the team.

Besides Ashwin, other spinners did not impress enough. This led to MI losing their way in the middle overs of their bowling effort. They neither picked up enough wickets nor were able to control the scoring rate in the important phase of the matches. So, not going for a quality spinner is another plot Rohit Sharma's team missed.