Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma were fighting? Piyush Chawla narrates Mumbai Indians' IPL 2024 debacle

Former Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla recently revealed what went wrong with the Mumbai Indians (MI) team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Piyush Chawla stated that no single player was responsible for their disappointing performance in the last season of the Indian Premier League.

All-rounder Hardik was appointed as the Mumbai Indians skipper ahead of the IPL 2024 season. However, the five-time IPL champions became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament. The Mumbai-based franchise registered just four wins out of 14 group-stage matches in the IPL 2024.

Piyush Chawla played 11 matches for the Mumbai Indians in this year's tournament. The spinner took 13 wickets in 11 games at an average of 24.00 and an economy rate of 8.91, with best bowling figures of 4/22. He was the second-highest wicket-taker for MI, behind Jasprit Bumrah, who took 20 wickets.

We Were One Of The Strongest Team On Paper - Piyush Chawla

In an interview with the Two Sloggers YouTube channel, Piyush Chawla said that the Mumbai Indians struggled to gain momentum, which affected their overall performance. Chawla said that the team finished in 10th place despite having a strong lineup on paper.

"Well, I won't say anything went wrong. T20 is all about momentum, and we did not get that. It happens sometimes. KKR had momentum, but we did not get it. It is not like one particular player was at fault. When you don't get that momentum, things change here and there. So because of that, I think we kind of lost our way. On paper, we were one of the strongest teams. Looking at that, anyone would wonder how this team came to number 10," Chawla said.

The Hardik Pandya-led team started the recent tournament with three consecutive losses before securing back-to-back wins. However, they failed to continue their winning momentum in IPL 2024. The Mumbai team won just one match out of their last seven group-stage matches in the T20 tournament.

Was Not Particularly Due To A Player's Fault - Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla dismissed the idea that any individual player was responsible for the Mumbai Indians' poor performance. He highlighted that luck was not in their favor, adding that matches could have turned in their favor with better luck.

"It was not particularly due to a player's fault. Luck was also two to three feet away from us. Those shots, which would have gone for six on any given day, went into the fielder's hands. When we bowled, those half-chances would go for a six," Chawla explained.

The Mumbai Indians last won the trophy during the IPL 2021 season. They failed to reach the playoffs three times in the last four editions of the tournament. The five-time IPL champions will be hoping to bounce back in next year's tournament. They will overhaul the team during the IPL 2025 mega auction.

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