‘It's been an honour to have you all’ – Akash Ambani cheers up Mumbai Indians after the team’s exit from IPL 2021

Mumbai Indians, the five-time Indian Premier League champions, didn’t quite have the best of times in the 2021 edition of the IPL. Rohit Sharma and Co. looked jittery from the very first game when the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore edged them out. MI’s woes deepened after the IPL had to be shifted to the United Arab Emirates due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the end, they finished fifth in the points table and failed to qualify for the playoffs. They were locked on 14 points with the Kolkata Knight Riders, who ended with a superior net run rate. MI beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last league game by 42 runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, but they failed to go past KKR’s net run rate.

Aakash Ambani’s words of wisdom

In the meantime, after MI ended their campaign in IPL 2021 on Friday, October 8, their owner Akash Ambani cheered the players up. He said that he won’t pay heed to the poor season since, MI, historically, have been a successful franchise. Terming the team, a ‘family’, Akash expressed pride in representing the franchise.

“Winning back-to-back trophies in four years is no mean feat. We know what it takes to be consistent over the next 30-35 matches. And even this season, I am not going to look back at it with too much regret because we have been a very very successful franchise,” Akash said.

“Thanks a lot for everything that you all have contributed to MI. It’s been an honour to have you all as a group of players and the support team too. It really does feel like a family. No matter what the future holds for each and every one of you, the family aspect of remaining with MI will always remain,” he added.

Although Mumbai couldn’t go beyond the first round, they ended on a high. Apart from their win over the Sunrisers, they also got past the Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets after chasing down 92 in 8.2 overs. The likes of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav also found form before the start of the T20 World Cup from October 17 onwards.