Every once in a while, there come a group of athletes who make you go in awe of them. Their presence, swagger and dominance makes one just stand up and applaud.
In the history of franchise cricket, there have been a few, who have succeeded in their respective competitions. However, it beggars belief that there could be any team at present or in future that could come to being as strong and as consistent as the Mumbai Indians have been in the Indian Premier League.
After taking time to get off the blocks, the franchise claimed their fifth IPL title on Tuesday, when they defeated the Delhi Capitals by five wickets in Dubai.
That is two more than the Chennai Super Kings, who until Mumbai won their maiden crown in 2013, were the most successful franchise in the tournament’s history and three more than Kolkata Knight Riders, who after their struggles in the early years, won their first crown one year before Mumbai did.
So, what makes the Mumbai Indians such a powerful T20 outfit?
Before the final, this question was put to Dale Steyn, who appeared as a guest panelist for the broadcasters and he said their core strength was their batting. It never seemed to end and carried on and on, with one power hitter following another and the juggernaut continuing with each passing game.
The world knew they had some explosive batsmen. This season, they added the likes of Ishan Kishan, who grew in leaps and bounds during the course of the tournament, adding more firepower to the franchise and Suryakumar Yadav’s consistency meant the team could either post any total or track it down without too many issues.
Other franchises have their own set of destructive ball strikers, but none of them seem to possess an array, quite like Mumbai. It consistently keeps coming at opposition, one after another looking to hold the game by the throat and pulverise it.
While the popular cliche maybe that cricket is a batsman’s game, it is the bowlers who pave the way in helping teams win tournaments and Mumbai have a unit of fast bowlers, that can make any team look ordinary.
Swing. Pace. Variety. Spin. Everything. Trent Boult leads the way, with his left-arm angle and his ability to dart the ball inwards, can threaten the best of batsmen across the world. There are not many words to describe the impact of Jasprit Bumrah on this franchise. Perhaps two words would suffice: Game changer.
In Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya, they have effective spin bowling options and all of them are backed by reserves, who can come on anytime if there is support needed.
But good batsmen and bowlers are part of every franchise that tastes success. What, then really separates Mumbai from the rest? The answer is leadership. When Rohit Sharma first took over the reigns in 2013, there was no expectation from him to take this franchise to the heights that they have reached. He came in at a time of crisis, with Ricky Ponting, who would later coach him and the franchise, stepping aside and letting Rohit take charge and in the subsequent years he has shown what a fantastic decision that has proven to be.
The key to Rohit’s success has been the manner in which he has kept the team together, not led the odd failure make the players feel incompetent about themselves and put the faith in them to deliver in the long run. That belief seems to have rubbed onto the rest of the team and hence, one has seen the performances in the middle.
However, Rohit isn’t the only leader around the setup. In Kieron Pollard, they have a veteran T20 specialist, a Mumbai Indians loyalist and someone who has grown in stature over the years with this franchise. Pollard’s calm demeanor coupled with his ability to make vital contributions when needed really makes him an invaluable asset to this franchise, who will hope he stays with them until his T20 career comes to a close.
The intriguing aspect to this is that several young players in this setup can learn from these two superb leaders and in a few years time, if the franchise keeps their core intact, take the mantle forward and become legends in their own right.
That is perhaps the next challenge for Mumbai. But right now, it is time to give a Hi-5 to everyone who has made it another season to remember for everyone supporting them.
