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IPL 2024 has entered the business end of the tournament and five-time champions Mumbai Indians is the first team to be eliminated from the play-offs race.
After Sunrisers Hyderabad clinched a record-breaking win over Lucknow Super Giants at the Rajiv Gandhi international stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, it not only gave SRH a big boost in their chances of making it to the knockout stages, but it extinguished MI's slim hopes of making the play-offs.
MI, who have two games left, will now play for pride as they look to wrap up a dismal season. Even if Mumbai win their last two matches, they can go up to a maximum of 12 points.
The Mumbai side, led under new skipper Hardik Pandya, faced a lot of heat for the captaincy change prior to the start of the season and their worries only multiplied as the season unfolded.
From the 12 matches they have played so far, Mumbai have lost eight and are currently placed ninth on the points table, a rung above Gujarat Titans.
The win took Sunrisers to 14 points from 12 games. With LSG and Delhi Capitals set to face off on May 14, one of these sides would reach 14 points too. Chennai Super Kings too are on 12 points with three games in hand.
This means, Mumbai, who can get a maximum of 12 points have been knocked out of the race --becoming the first side to miss out on a play-off berth this season.
In their next two matches, MI will have their task cut out against table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders and then face LSG on May 17, MI's final match this season.
MI opened their IPL 2024 campaign with a loss to Hardik's former side Gujarat Titans by six runs and this set the tone FOR their season. In their next match, SRH handed them a thrashing as they hammered the highest-ever IPL total (which SRH broke again this season) of 277/3, taking the Mumbai bowling unit apart.
Despite a brave fight, MI fell to their second loss and followed it up with their third loss on the trot, losing to Rajasthan Royals by 6 runs.
In their fourth match, they picked up their first win, defeating Delhi and followed it up with a second, with a win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Did this signal their return? Unlike several previous seasons -- sadly no.
After the two wins, they lost to CSK, then beat Punjab Kings, before losing their way again with four losses on the trot.