Former Indian opener and now a cricket analyst Aakash Chopra has revealed why Mumbai Indians are the most successful team in the Indian Premier League history. Mumbai Indians have won the maximum number of IPL titles on four occasions, winning the coveted trophy in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019. In fact, the team has made to the five finals and they have won four of them to be the most successful IPL team.
Meanwhile, it is well said that half of the IPL battle is won or lost in the auctions. The Mumbai Indians have been brilliant with their selection in the auction and they have put their money on the young players. In fact, they have a replacement ready for every position, which helps them go a long way in the season.
Mumbai Indians have come up the collective team effort
Aakash Chopra said while talking on his YouTube channel, “Their planning is absolutely top-class. This is the only team that wins half of the IPL at the auction table. They make such a good team there, they have a backup for every position.”
“When you collect such good players, then even if there are some injuries or lack of form, they are pretty much sorted. That’s been the hallmark of their success. They follow the philosophy of good selection.”
Secondly, Aakash Chopra feels that the franchise has put their weight behind the young players, which has helped them take giant strides. The players like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Mayank Markande (in the previous seasons) have played a key role. Thus, the franchise has played a key role in grooming youngsters.
“The second is something that has changed over the years. When they started, they didn’t give lot of chances. They used to go to proven customers and made the team emotionally.”
“But after that, they started finding and grooming the young players. If you are a youngster and you want opportunities, previously it was Rajasthan Royals but now you say Mumbai Indians. If you are a youngster in Mumbai Indians on whom the team has reposed faith, then sky is the limit.”
Last but not the least, they are lead by a stable Rohit Sharma, who has handled the crunch situations with aplomb. Rohit has led Mumbai Indians in 104 matches, in which the club has won 60 whereas they have lost 42 while two matches have ended in a tie. Hence, Rohit has a winning percentage of 58.65 as the MI captain.
“Whichever team does well in the IPL, has a stable captain. When they took Rohit Sharma from Deccan Chargers, they decided that they are looking at him as a captain. They took him with the aim of preparing him for captaincy.”
Mumbai Indians will look to defend their title in the forthcoming season, which will begin from September 19 in the UAE.