IPL 2022: Which team qualified for the playoffs despite losing first 3 matches of the season?

The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season has witnessed two most successful teams, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) struggling to make a mark. Perhaps, both sides have lost their first three matches and are yet to get off the mark on the points table. While CSK are at the eighth position, the five-time champions are languishing at the ninth place in the table. With 11 matches still to go, there is every chance that the two champion teams can make a comeback but they are left with little margin of error now.

Interestingly, this is the first time that CSK have lost their first 3 matches of the season. They went down to Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings. On the other hand, MI are in a ‘been there done that’ kind of a situation. They have lost to Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royal and KKR. Their recent loss to KKR will be hurting Rohit Sharma and his troops more as Pat Cummins blew them away on his way to recording the joint-fastest fifty in the history of IPL.

However, in a delighting news for their fans, Mumbai Indians were the last team to make it to the playoffs after losing their first 3 matches of the season. Rather they did it for two consecutive seasons, in 2014 and 2015.

MI had lost five matches in a row in 2014

The team led by Rohit Sharma had lost five consecutive matches to start with in the 2014 season. But the team managed to make it to the playoffs. MI went one step ahead the next season. They lost to PBKS, KKR, RR and CSK in the first four matches of the season but made an incredible comeback to secure the second position in the points table. Moreover, they ended up winning the trophy for the second time in the IPL history.

No team has managed to replicate that feat since then. Forget winning the IPL trophy, no side has even qualified for the playoffs after losing  the first three matches. MI found themselves in a similar situation in the 2018 IPL edition again losing their opening three games but missed out on a place in the top four.