Mumbai Indians have had a topsy-turvy IPL 2023 campaign so far: they started off the tournament with 2 dispiriting losses to RCB and CSK but bounced back with a hat-trick of wins over DC, KKR, and SRH. Then they lost two, won two, and now have lost again – and this one will pain: losing to CSK by 6 wickets in Chennai.
After two blockbuster batting performances when they chased down over 200 runs vs RR and PBKS, MI batters managed only 139 at the Chepauk, which CSK chased down in 17.4 overs and moved to the second spot with 12 points.
With this significant loss, Mumbai Indians’ NRR also took a hit and is now down to -0.454. The Rohit Sharma-led unit seeks a playoff spot after missing out on the top 4 in the last two seasons.
Mumbai Indians currently sit at the 6th spot in the points table with 10 points in 10 matches. The table is being led by GT, who are the only team with 14 points, followed by CSK, LSG, RR, RCB, MI and PBKS while KKR, SRH, and DC are the bottom three.
Many are even considering the bottom 3 teams – KKR, SRH, and DC – out of the playoff race already. Mumbai Indians in particular are well and truly alive in the playoff race.
How can Mumbai Indians still qualify for playoffs in IPL 2023?
Yes, Mumbai Indians (10 points in 10 matches) are still in playoff contention. But they will have to win at least 3 of their remaining 4 games to make a strong case for a playoff spot.
In the 10-team IPL 2022 tournament, the team at the 4th spot to reach the playoffs last year – RCB – had 16 points while DC and PBKS with 14 points each just missed the playoffs. A win for both of them would have pipped them over RCB because of their better NRR. In fact, DC had their fortunes in their own hands but lost their last league game.
So, yes, Mumbai Indians fans can remain optimistic if their side turns around their campaign in a spectacular style and win at least 3 of their remaining 4 matches, they might go through to the playoffs. While their bowling is a big concern, their middle-order batting has got them over the line. Mumbai Indians are historically known to do well in the second half of the league stage and they can take confidence from their history.
Mumbai Indians have already done better than their last season – in IPL 2022 they lost their first 8 matches are then were eliminated from the playoff race – with a similar bowling attack, if not worse, and a good batting unit, which has shown better form, in particular the middle-order.
