Revisiting Rohit Sharma's reign as Mumbai Indians captain, from maiden title in 2013 to back-to-back triumphs

Mumbai Indians on Friday took the internet by storm by announcing Hardik Pandya as their new leader, effectively marking the end of the ‘Rohit Sharma Era’. Pandya had been brought back to the franchise that he was part of for seven seasons on 27 November, a day after the deadline for franchise to announce their retained and released players lists but well within the trading window. Mumbai Indians paid Rs 15 crore in an all cash deal to secure the services of the all-rounder who led the Gujarat Titans to back-to-back finals in his two years away from the franchise, helping them win the title on debut in 2022. Pandya’s return to the franchise was believed by many to be a long-term move from the franchise keeping in mind the fact that skipper Rohit Sharma is 36-year-old and very much in the twilight of his playing career. Few, however, had expected MI to make the landmark announcement less than three weeks after the blockbuster move. Some had even expected Rohit to lead for another season, maybe even two, before officially handing over the reins to Pandya. Friday’s announcement thus brings to an end a glorious era for Mumbai Indians, one where they franchise not only became the most successful side alongside Chennai Super Kings with five titles in as many finals, but soared in popularity as well as brand value.

🏆 IPL 2013
🏆 IPL 2015
🏆 IPL 2017
🏆 IPL 2019
🏆 IPL 2020

Rohit Sharma, one of the greatest captains in IPL history 🔵👏 pic.twitter.com/BBLS27fUds

— MI Fans Army™ (@MIFansArmy) December 15, 2023

MI, after all, failed to reach the semi-finals of the first two editions, finishing second-from-bottom in 2009, before batting legend Sachin Tendulkar led a spirited turnaround in 2010, in which they topped the league stage and reached the final, only to lose to CSK. Mumbai would then fail to reach the final in the next two editions, getting knocked out in Qualifier 2 and in the Eliminator respectively. Their fortunes, however, would change completely from the 2013 edition. Here’s a detailed recap of Mumbai Indians under the Rohit’s leadership: Ends IPL trophy drought on captaincy debut Rohit had quite the year in 2013; not only would his career forever change after being promoted to an opener alongside Shikhar Dhawan in the 2013 Champions Trophy, he also ended up guiding Mumbai Indians to their first Indian Premier League title in six attempts, having fallen narrowly short three seasons ago. Rohit, who had joined the franchise in 2011 after three seasons with Deccan Chargers, took over the role from Ricky Ponting midway through the season with the Australian legend handing over the reins following back-to-back defeats. Rohit would begin his tenure with a hat-trick of victories, with Mumbai Indians winning eight out of their next nine fixtures after the change in leadership, and would eventually go on to defeat CSK in the final at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens by 23 runs. Title count keeps swelling Rohit’s IPL 2013 success, however, was by no means a one-off. It wasn’t even their only title of 2013, with Rohit leading the side to the Champions League T20 title later that year with a victory over Rajasthan Royals in the final. Mumbai Indians would then go on to establish a trend of winning the IPL every alternative season — in the years ending with an odd number to be more specific. MI snuck into the playoffs in 2014 despite losing their first five matches, only to get knocked out by CSK in the Eliminator. They would, however, bounce back the following year by finishing second on the points table, behind Chennai and defeating them twice in the playoffs — in Qualifier 1 and the final respectively. Mumbai would fail to make the playoffs for the first time in seven years during the 2016 season, where they finishing narrowly short at the fifth spot with seven wins and as many losses. The team would follow a similar script in 2018 — once again finishing fifth, this time with six wins and eight defeats. The two seasons, however, were separated by MI pulling off one of their most clinical campaigns in 2017 — finishing top of the table with 10 wins in 14 outings and going on to defeat Rising Pune Super Giant by a solitary run in a thrilling final in Hyderabad. Rohit emulates Dhoni’s unique feat Mumbai Indians would reach the zenith of their glory in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, in which Rohit would become only the second captain in IPL history to win back-to-back titles after Dhoni, who helped CSK lift the trophy in 2010 and 2011. MI topped the points table for the second time in three seasons, finishing with nine wins and five defeats despite having started their season with two defeats in their first three outings. MI would then pull off a near-repeat of the 2015 season, defeating Chennai in both Qualifier 1 as well as in the final to take their title count to 4. MI, in fact, had CSK’s number that season, having defeated the then-defending champions four times in as many matches. The following year, the IPL had been indefinitely suspended for the first time since its inception in 2008 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The BCCI finally decided to move the event to the United Arab Emirates in the months of October and November, and the Mumbai Indians appeared to have carried on from where they left off the previous season, topping the table for a third time in four seasons with nine wins and five defeats and going on to defeat the Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi Capitals — who made their only appearance in an IPL final that year — by five wickets.

CHAMPIONS!! #MumbaiIndians #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/iJVilrC9WX

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 10, 2020

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With the back-to-back wins, Rohit established a sizeable gap with Dhoni in terms of IPL title count, leading the 2011 ICC World Cup-winning captain 5-3. MI bounce back after a couple of poor seasons MI, however, would hit a roadblock of sorts after their back-to-back titles. For the first time in over a decade, Mumbai Indians would fail to make the IPL playoffs in consecutive seasons, and pressure was starting to mount on Rohit as captain around this time. At the time of the 2021 season getting suspended around the halfway mark due to reports of multiple COVID cases in the bio-bubble, MI were very much in contention for the playoffs with four wins in seven outings. Their hopes, however, would take a hit in the second leg of the season in September, when Rohit and Co lost four of their next five fixtures. Despite winning each of their last two games, MI once again narrowly missed out by finishing fifth. The following season turned out to be their most forgettable ever, with Mumbai finishing at the very bottom for the first time in the history of the IPL with just four wins in 14 outings — a performance that was as alien to the Mumbai Indians as winning titles is to Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. What was even more embarrassing was the fact that Mumbai lose each of their first eight outings, and would officially become the first team to be knocked out of contention for the playoffs. [caption id=“attachment_10594641” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Mumbai Indians would hit rock-bottom in IPL 2022, losing each of their first eight matches and finishing at the bottom of the 10-team table. Image: Sportzpics for IPL[/caption] The horrors of 2022, however, would be somewhat exorcised with a spirited comeback the following year. Mumbai started off slow yet again, losing their first two games, but would bounce back with three wins on the trot. By winning three of their last four encounters, MI ensured they were back in the playoffs for the first time in three years, and would boost hopes of a sixth title by thrashing Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator in style. A whirlwind century by Shubman Gill and a five-for by Mohit Sharma, however, would dash their title hopes in the second Qualfiier as GT entered the IPL final for a second time in as many seasons.