IPL 2024: 3 changes Mumbai Indians should make to get back to winning ways

It was time for the massive clash between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings. Skipper Hardik Pandya was able to win the toss and opted to field first at the iconic Wankhede stadium. The away side lost Ajinkya Rahane early but Ruturaj Gaikwad kept the innings afloat with an epic 69-run knock. Through vital contributions from MS Dhoni and Shivam Dube, they were able to reach a competitive total of 206/4 on the scoreboard. 

In reply, the opening duo of Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma gave their side an incredible start. Their opening stand was broken by Matheesha Pathirana and he also sent back in-form batter Suryakumar Yadav for nothing in the same over. 

Tilak Varma had a great stand with Rohit Sharma but had to depart after scoring just 31 runs. A great bowling display from CSK saw them win the game by 20 runs against Mumbai Indians. Ahead of Mumbai Indians’ next game against the Punjab Kings, let’s take a look at what changes the side can make.

Here are the three changes Mumbai Indians should make to get back to winning ways -

3. Better fielding 

Considering the kind of match, the fielding had to be great from the Mumbai Indians. However, that wasn’t the case as the dew got to the players of the Mumbai Indians. Aakash Madhwal often found himself guilty of giving away extra runs as he couldn’t gather the ball in time and that might have been costly for the franchise.

There was also one dropped catch of Ruturaj Gaikwad by Rohit Sharma. It was a great effort nonetheless but it ended up being costly as the skipper scored 30 more runs after that. Hardik Pandya also made a great effort but was not able to take a tough chance during the game as well. The fielding aspect might be something that the franchise needs to ponder upon as well.

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2. Better captaincy from Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya made a few tactical errors during the game against Chennai Super Kings earlier today. During the bowling, he opted to bowl himself in the final over of the innings and it ended up costing them the result. He conceded 26 runs off the final six deliveries and even though he got a wicket, it was a bad call from the skipper.

Along with that, he opted not to bowl Shreyas Gopal, who had taken the massive wicket of Rachin Ravindra in the sole over he bowled today. If he would have bowled more, Mumbai Indians would have been in an even more comfortable position and could have had a stronghold on the opposition. Moreover, he should have let power-hitters like Tim David and Mohammad Nabi come up the order when the required run-rate was soaring high in the middle overs.

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1. Improved batting approach during middle overs

Mumbai Indians have started off their batting well with both Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma giving good momentum to the innings. Their opening stands have been great and reduces the pressure off the middle-order batters. However, if the wickets fall and Suryakumar Yadav doesn’t perform, it ends up being a problem for the franchise since the aggressive intent is not being applied by the other batters.

Hardik Pandya especially is not playing in the same attacking manner for which he was known for during his initial days with the Mumbai Indians. The team management might have to rethink their middle order approach and start playing with the same attacking intent which helped them get both their wins this season in the Indian Premier League.