IPL: 5 unbreakable records of Mumbai Indians (MI)

The Mumbai Indians represent India’s financial capital, Mumbai city, in the IPL. They are unarguably the best team in the league with as many as five trophies in their bag. The face of the team was none other than the local boy, Sachin Tendulkar, as a result of which the team had a lot of fans from the start itself.

They had a clumsy start to their IPL journey as they did not reach the playoffs in the first two seasons. However, they did exceptionally well in the third season and reached the final. Although they lost the finale to CSK, that season marked the beginning of their dominance in the tournament.

They won their first trophy a couple of years later in 2013 and then won the tournament in every alternate season thereon. They went one step further in 2020 as they became the second team after CSK to successfully defend their title. They have also created some mind-blowing records along their journey in the league which seem quite difficult to break.

So, we list 5 unshakable records created by Mumbai Indians:

1) Biggest win margin of 146 runs

The IPL usually produces many nail-biting encounters but there have also been few one-sided games where one team has completely crushed the other. We are talking about one such match between MI and DC where MI completely stamped their authority on the Capitals.

In the 45th match of the 2017 season, DC hosted MI at their home ground, Arun Jaitley stadium. After winning the toss Delhi opted to field with the aim of restricting Delhi to a low total. But it was not to be as Mumbai mounted a huge total of 212 at the back of Lendl Simmons’ 43-ball 66.

In response, Delhi never really got going and just crumbled away within 14 overs. The entire team was bundled out for a modest total of 66 runs. Both the spinners, Harbhajan Singh and Karn Sharma bagged 3 wickets each and the pacers too fired together.

As a result, Delhi was handed a resounding defeat and MI became the first team to qualify for the playoffs that season. The winning margin of 146 runs is the biggest in the history of the league and has been untouched until now. This margin is a huge one and it seems that this record will continue to stand in the times to come.

2) Best bowling figures by Alzarri Joseph

The Sunrisers Hyderabad are often associated with low-scoring encounters in the IPL. We are talking about one such low-scoring encounter between MI and SRH in the 2019 season. The match was played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad where the home side won the toss and elected to bowl first.

The SRH bowlers did quite well as they restricted MI for a total of 136/7. The Sunrisers must have been happy with their effort as chasing a target below 140 is usually a simple task. But it was not to be as Alzarri Joseph, who was replacing injured Lasith Malinga in the playing XI, produced an unexpectedly outstanding performance on debut.

Joseph struck early as he got the better of SRH skipper and premier batsman David Warner. He then got wickets at regular intervals and pegged back the SRH innings. As a result, SRH were bundled out for 96 and Joseph finished with figures of 6/12.

These figures are the best bowling figures in the history of the IPL as the 11-year record held by Sohail Tanvir was broken. With just 24 balls in a spell in T20 cricket, picking more than five wickets is a mountain to climb. So, the chances of this record being broken are very bleak.

3) Fastest target chased in IPL

The first season of the IPL produced many volatile results. While few matches produced scores in excess of 220, some matches got over with scores of under 100. This record was posted in the first season and stands to date.

The second leg of the MI versus KKR encounter of 2008 was played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. MI won the toss and elected to field first. To back their decision of bowling first, MI produced a fiery bowling display and KKR were shot out for a meagre 67. All the bowlers bowled together as a unit and Shaun Pollock was the pick of the bowlers who picked three wickets for only 12 runs.

In response, the MI batters came out with positive intent and romped home in only 5.3 overs. They registered the biggest winning margin in terms of balls remaining as they won the match with 87 balls to spare. To win inside the powerplay is a surreal achievement. This record has remained unbeaten for all these years and it is unlikely to be broken in the coming years too.

4) Unbeaten at Chepauk for 10 years

The MI versus CSK rivalry has been one of the fiercest in the history of the league. The fans of both the teams go berserk for their individual franchises. Corresponding to football, the encounters between these two teams are called El Classico, meaning a classic match.

However, MI have one very strong record against CSK, which proves their supremacy. Mumbai Indians were unbeaten at Chennai’s home turf, the MA Chidambaram stadium for 10 straight years from 2011 to 2021. CSK last defeated MI at Chepauk in the 2010 season after which they went unbeaten there for 10 years.

When the IPL was played at neutral venues in 2021, MI took on RCB at Chennai in the opening encounter. RCB then defeated MI in the last-ball finish, thus ending their 10-year unshaken streak. To win all matches at an away venue for so many years is a big challenge. It remains to be seen if this record will ever be broken.

5) Most IPL trophies

The last record, but definitely not the least is the fact that MI have won five IPL trophies. While winning the trophy even once is still a dream for few franchises, MI have breached this milestone as many as five times.

The second team in the list, CSK have won the trophy three times. With many of CSK’s players reaching the end of their careers, they will enter a transition phase, and winning the trophy might be difficult in such a period.

At the same time, MI look as strong as ever, so the chances of them winning another trophy cannot be ruled out. Even for other teams, it is quite tough to win the title several times. Hence, it is very likely that MI will lead the chart for many more years to come.