OPINION
Follow UsIt was back in 2008 when my childhood heroes were divided into different teams and I had no idea whom to support. Like everyone else around, I joined the KKR frenzy but it pinched me harder every time MI lost. After four defeats, we finally registered a victory against KKR and my happiness had no bounds. That's when I realized where my heart belongs.
It has been a memorable journey with some topsy turvy moments over the last 14 years. From the legend of Sachin Tendulkar to the rise of Rohit Sharma, we have been glad to oversee the transition phase. From fairytale moments like scoring sixes on the last ball for sealing a playoff spot to registering one-run victories not once but twice in a final to win the coveted IPL trophy, we have done it all.
Many teams are yet to win a single trophy but we have got seven (if you count Champions League as well). Our consistency has been so remarkable that it made me forget that there is another side to this as well. The bottom half of the points table, which now by experience I can say is quite dreadful. CSK fans in 2020 or RCB fans in 2019, I feel you now.
The Mega Auction might have been fun for cricket fans but try asking an MI fan and they will admit it was nothing less than a heartbreak. To watch our players go to different teams was not an easy sight at all.
But I thought we will overcome just like before. We had lost Jos Buttler, Dwayne Smith, Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh to other teams in the past but that didn't affect us much. However halfway into the ongoing tournament, it's like our worst nightmare is coming true.
Watching that disappointment on the big faces in the dugout, the sight of Bumrah feeling helpless that there's no Malinga/Boult at the other end, Pollard not having a Pandya brother to trust at the non-striker or the captain not having his magician spinner to turn things around, it feels shattering, to say the least.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya is rising tall with the bat and ball for Gujarat Titans. QDK continues to match those levels of class at the top-order for Lucknow Super Giants. Boult, Rahul Chahar, and Marco Jansen are shining with the ball for their respective teams. As someone in a very famous movie once said, "Dost jab fail ho toh dukh hota hai, but first aaye toh zyada hota hai" (You feel sad when a friend fails but sadder when he tops the class.)
We didn't do that bad in the auctions though. Reserving Jofra Archer for 2023 or getting a very talented Dewald Brevis in our ranks. We retained our Indian batting core. Got a young prodigy in Tilak Varma and a future captain in Ishan Kishan. Perhaps, we were so invested in what's ahead, that we ended up sacrificing an entire season.
But thank you Mumbai Indians for spoiling me because even after six back-to-back losses, I am still hoping for a miracle and things to suddenly start falling into place. Because that's what we have done. Rising every time we have fallen. The art of making phenomenal comebacks stays alive within every fan who has witnessed MI pull off thrillers in all their grandeur at the Wankhede stadium.
So what if we may not end up winning this tournament from here? We have fought hard, come close, and not been outplayed completely. So what if we might be missing the zeal to pull us through the tough situations? At least we have the courage to put up a strong show. So what if opposition batters are taking our bowlers to the cleaners? They'll be equally terrified when Bumrah and Jofra bowl in tandem and topple those stumps next year.
We believe. The good times will come and we will be back to where we belong, which is right on top. We believe.
Sincerely,
A Mumbai Indians fan!
