The Mumbai Indians began this IPL amidst a lot of negativity from their fans, who were upset with the team’s change in captaincy, from five-time champion Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya. Their initial three back-to-back defeats thereafter only convinced one and all that this change in leadership was a huge mistake.

Raising the bar

However, Pandya’s positive intent with the bat in their last two matches (a patient 34 v Rajasthan Royals and a hardworking 39 v Delhi Capitals) has helped turn things around. And their convincing win over DC (by 29 runs) at the Wankhede recently has only raised expectations as they take on an under-performing Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday.