IPL 2025: Top positives for Mumbai Indians – Suryakumar Yadav’s form and rise of young batters lead the way.
When Mumbai Indians (MI) breached the 200-run mark in the first inning of the second qualifier against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), they looked confident. And why shouldn’t they be? After all, coming into the fixture, they were unbeaten in a 200-plus defence during the 18 seasons of the IPL. They also had four overs of the premier pacer, Jasprit Bumrah.
However, things didn’t go their way from the beginning when Josh Inglis grabbed the early momentum by nailing Bumrah’s first over for 20 runs. Still, it has been a successful campaign for the five-time champions. After the first five encounters, they were not in the situation of visualising the playoff spot.
But they turned the tables with six successive wins in the middle half of the competition. For a moment, they had the chance to finish in the top two. However, fumbling three out of the last five clashes snatched the golden opportunity.
Read More: IPL 2025, Qualifier 2, PBKS vs MI: IPL to get a new champion as Punjab meet Bengaluru in the final
Here are the positives for MI from their IPL 2025 campaign:
Suryakumar Yadav’s consistent season with 717 runs
If consistency is the art, Suryakumar Yadav is Leonardo Da Vinci. For the entire IPL 2025, the Indian T20I captain crossed the 25-run mark in 16 consecutive innings. He became the first MI batter to collect 700+ runs in an IPL edition, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar’s 618 runs in 2010.
The right-handed batter smashed 717 runs in 16 innings at an average of 65.18 and a strike rate of 167.91, thanks to five fifties. It’s fantastic news for the national side, with the home T20 World Cup awaiting in eight months.
Whenever Mumbai was under pressure this year, Surya bailed them out of trouble with both balanced and aggressive mindsets. One of his highlighted knocks came in a crucial home game against the Delhi Capitals (DC). The Hardik Pandya-led side was three down in the seventh over.
It was needed for a veteran to stay longer at the crease. For the first few overs, Sky only focused on the singles before cracking the big shots in the death overs. He remained unbeaten on 73 runs in just 43 balls to shoulder Mumbai to 180/5.
Read More: IPL 2025, Eliminator, GT vs MI: Mumbai hold their own in high pressure tie, GT eliminated
Ryan Rickelton, Tilak Varma, and Naman Dhir finding their feet in the IPL
The IPL 2020 champion side was crystal clear with their plan to use Ryan Rickelton at the opening position. The southpaw also finished the season as the franchise’s third-leading run-getter with 388 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 150.97. His knocks gave Rohit Sharma the chance to settle at the other end.
Tilak Varma was also decent on most occasions. He is a vital member of the Indian T20I set-up, and his form will be important for them in the upcoming ICC event. Apart from a few off games, Varma was up to the task with 343 runs at a strike rate of 138.30.
Naman Dhir played some essential knocks throughout the season. It’s never an easy job to score runs in the lower order. But the 25-year-old’s 252 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 182.60 provided Mumbai with many late, brutal finishes in the tournament.
The stable bowling line-up
During the mega auction, Mumbai looked keen to find a new-ball Indian pacer for the powerplay. They went hard after Deepak Chahar for a price of INR 9.25 crore. Once they locked Trent Boult, it gave them the cushion to use Jasprit Bumrah for only one over in the powerplay.
Chahar went through a satisfactory season inside the first six overs of the innings. He picked up 11 wickets at an economy rate of just over nine in IPL 2025. Meanwhile, Boult bagged 22 scalps in 16 innings. Bumrah’s contribution of 18 wickets at an economy rate of 6.67 is impossible to describe in words. They should look to retain the same experienced pace bowling line-up for the next season.
Read More: IPL 2025: Reasons behind MI’s revival after a slow start
All-rounders bring stability
Most of the all-rounders for Mumbai had a fine season. Undoubtedly, Mitchell Santner was the standout. Even though he couldn’t do much with the bat, the left-arm spinner handled the middle overs beautifully. He picked up 10 wickets in 13 innings at an economy rate of under eight.
Corbin Bosch featured in three games and displayed his talent. The 30-year-old has the power to clear the boundary and can also bowl a little if required. These are the future of the franchise.
Among the few negatives, Hardik’s batting form is a concern. Although he smashed 224 runs at a strike rate of 163.50, the captain was missing from the captaincy in crucial stages. They may eye a few wrist spinners during the mini-auction for the IPL 2025. Mumbai used Vignesh Puthur and Karn Sharma, but it won’t be a bad idea to keep a few more options open.
Read More: IPL 2025: MI’s middle overs batting prowess separates them from the rest
