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CLT20 2014: Why Mumbai Indians failed to recreate the magic

Mumbai Indians have been a shadow of the champions they were in previous seasons.

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Rohit Sharma's absence proved fatal for Mumbai Indians in CLT20 2014 © PTI
Rohit Sharma’s absence proved fatal for Mumbai Indians in CLT20 2014 © PTI

Mumbai Indians (MI), the defending champions, were knocked out of the Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2014. Mumbai were disappointing and failed to live up to all the promise ahead of the tournament. To lose out in the qualifiers was even more embarrassing for a side that has prided itself in consistency. Nishad Pai Vaidya writes about Mumbai’s failures in the CLT20 2014.

Mumbai Indians have been a shadow of the champions they were in previous seasons. With a strong unit at their disposal, Mumbai touched great heights in 2013 when they completed the double — winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Champions League T20 (CLT20).  However, the IPL 2014 auctions changed things and although they could retain most of their core, they were unsuccessful in maintaining the same punch in the side. And the recent elimination from the CLT20 has further exposed those flaws. Mumbai are the first Indian side to be knocked out in the CLT20 qualifiers and the first defending champions to lose out in that round.

Yes, Mumbai managed to get through to the playoffs of the IPL 2014, but it was a jailbreak in reality. Rajasthan Royals (RR) slipped towards the end and Mumbai managed to sneak through with that dramatic run-chase in their last league game. Through the season, their batting blew hot and cold. Though they had Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard, the duo alone couldn’t take things under control. Michael Hussey and Lendl Simmons only formed that combination in the latter half of the season. Corey Anderson too found his touch much later.

The other big problem was that Mumbai did not have enough quality in their Indian domestic recruits as far as the batting is concerned. Rohit’s absence only compounded those issues in the CLT20. Ambati Rayudu isn’t the most consistent player, but is an impact batsman. Hence, he was retained on the basis of that quality. With Harbhajan Singh coming in at No 7, it showed how thin Mumbai were on batting.

Last year, Mumbai had an embarrassment of riches. An attacking batsman like Glenn Maxwell, who was picked for USD 1 million, was made to sit on the bench. Compare it to this year, when they had Jalaj Saxena, Shreyas Gopal and Sushant Marathe in their side, men who haven’t had enough experience in the IPL. Two of them even went on to represent Mumbai in the CLT20. This shows how difficult it was for Mumbai to put a good side on the park. They had to resort to players devoid of experience to do the job for them. One may say that they did the same in 2011, when they fielded Yuzvendra Chahal and Sarul Kanwar in the CLT20 and went on to win it. To use the popular cliché, everyday isn’t Sunday!

But, one would say that Mumbai spent a lot on retaining their main players. Having spent a major part of their purse on Rohit, Rayudu, Harbhajan, Pollard and Lasith Malinga, they were left with little at the auction to fill the other spots. As a result, the likes of Dwayne Smith, Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson were snapped by other franchises. Though the new recruits came in, the collective strength and punch of the side reduced. As the 2015 auctions come about, they need to be better planned and learn from their mistakes. If they are to improve on these performances, Mumbai need to do some serious work at the next auction.

Catch the complete coverage of Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2014 here

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_44)

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