Image: Mumbai Indians’ poor start in IPL 2025 draws parallels with RCB's past struggles / © NDTV Sports
The history of the Indian Premier League hasn’t been very kind to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Even after 17 years of playing in the league, they are yet to win an IPL title. Despite having big names and strong squads over the years, RCB have often choked during key moments. This has made them the target of jokes and memes online. Their inconsistency and tendency to back out-of-form players have kept them under constant criticism. Now, something similar seems to be happening with the Mumbai Indians in the 2025 season.
The five-time champions have looked out of touch and are struggling to find form. So far in IPL 2025, MI have won just one match out of the five played and are sitting near the bottom of the table. This poor performance is a continuation of their disappointing 2024 campaign, where they won only 4 out of 14 matches and ended up last on the points table. Big names like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Will Jacks, and Trent Boult are not delivering as expected, and the team looks low on confidence.
The top order of the Mumbai Indians team always used to build the games for the team in the previous seasons and hence was considered one of the strongest batting units in the IPL. However, in the 2025 season, things have taken a different turn, as their top-order batters have struggled to perform consistently, resulting in poor starts and increasing pressure on the middle and lower order.
Rohit Sharma, one of the pillars of the Mumbai Indians’ batting lineup, has had a forgettable start to the season. In 4 matches, he has scored just 38 runs at an average of 9.50 and a strike rate of 131.03. His highest score has been 17, and he has failed to give the team any solid foundation during the powerplay. Will Jacks, who was expected to play the role of an attacking opener or top-order enforcer, has also failed to live up to expectations.
In his 4 innings, he has scored only 54 runs at an average of 13.50 and a strike rate of 110.20. His highest score of 22 reflects his struggle to convert starts into meaningful innings. Rickelton showed some promise with one unbeaten 62*, but apart from that, he hasn’t made much impact. In 5 matches, he has scored 108 runs at an average of 27.00, with a strike rate of 150.00. With the top order not firing, Mumbai Indians’ overall batting rhythm has suffered, leading to disappointing results in IPL 2025 so far.
So far in the IPL 2025 season, the failures of the top 3 of the Mumbai Indians batting lineup have been mostly covered by the middle order. While the top order has struggled to give solid starts, the middle-order batters have taken responsibility and kept the team afloat with some consistent and impactful performances. Suryakumar Yadav has been the standout performer for Mumbai Indians with the bat. In 5 innings, he has scored 199 runs at an excellent average of 49.75 and an impressive strike rate of 150.75.
He has already hit one fifty this season and has looked fluent, playing his natural attacking game with 20 fours and 8 sixes. His ability to accelerate and anchor the innings has been vital for the team. Hardik Pandya, although facing criticism for his captaincy, has played a couple of useful cameos in the middle order. In 3 innings, he has scored 81 runs at an average of 40.50 and a brilliant strike rate of 168.75, showing his ability to finish the innings strongly.
Tilak Varma has also provided solidity at No. 4 or 5. He has made 151 runs from 4 innings at an average of 37.75 and a strike rate of 133.62. He has scored one half-century and remains one of the most promising young talents in the squad. Naman Dhir has chipped in with useful knocks, scoring 92 runs in 4 innings at a healthy strike rate of 173.58. Together, this middle order has been the backbone of Mumbai’s batting in IPL 2025, but hasn’t been able to win the games for them.
With Mumbai Indians currently sitting at the 8th position in the points table after 5 matches, with just 1 win and 4 losses and their road to the playoffs is looking difficult. The upcoming matches won’t be easy either, as they face Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Chennai Super Kings next. One of the biggest concerns has been their poor batting performance, especially from the top order, which has failed to deliver consistently.
Among the bowlers, it is only captain Hardik Pandya who has shown fight. He has picked up 10 wickets in 5 matches and has been the lone warrior trying to keep the team alive in the contest. The rest of the bowling unit has lacked consistency and support. If Mumbai Indians are to make a comeback this season, their top-order batsmen need to step up quickly and the entire team has to regroup with better focus in the coming matches.