When it comes to first matches of the IPL, history hasn’t been kind to one of the most successful sides, Mumbai Indians, who have lifted the trophy five times. It was a repeat of history, as MI lost their 11th first match of season, on the trot, after GT hammered them by six runs on Sunday.
Hardik Pandya, the first-time captain of MI, also couldn’t help the team get that much-desired win, after the team fought hard, in a chase of 169. With 19 needed off the last six ball, Hardik did come up with a six and a four against Umesh Yadav, but that just wasn’t enough, as the batter was caught out right after that.
The Unwanted Record
Record suggests that the team has never won their 1st match in the last 11 years now. In 2013, they lost to RCB by two runs, followed by a 41-run loss in 2014 at the hands of KKR. Once again in 2015, KKR beat MI in their first match by 7 wickets at Eden Gardens.
2016 saw Rising Pune Supergiants beat them by nine wickets at Wankhede, and the trend continued in 2017 as well as RPG beat MI again, by seven wickets, this time around. In 2018, it was the turn of CSK to do the honours, as they won by one wicket. Come 2019, it was DC who beat Mumbai by 37 in their first match.
Then in 2020, once again CSK emerged victorious, with a margin of five wickets in Abu Dhabi, followed by RCB in 2021, DC in 2022, and RCB in 2023. While Mumbai has shown that the result of the first match hardly has an impact on the entire season, having lifted five trophies in that time frame, but it is a concern for sure, for the team.
Coach Boucher Aware of the Opening Match Jinx
Not that the team wasn’t already not aware of this situation. In fact, during an interaction with the fans, the point was raised, and MI head coach Mark Boucher could only say this, “We have addressed that issue this time but are open to ideas from the fans.”
