5 Big Cricketers Who Failed To Make An Impact For The Mumbai Indians

Like all other IPL franchises, Mumbai Indians also had plenty of international cricketers in their ranks. In 2008, the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Shaun Pollock, Sanath Jayasuriya made massive impacts for them. In the following years, cricketers like Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Mitchell Johnson, and Lendl Simmons carried the mantle, following their footsteps. Amid that, there existed certain big-ticket players, who could not live up to the expectations.

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While some players got ample chances to prove themselves, others received only a few opportunities. In a high-octane tournament like the IPL, one has to grab all the shots they get; otherwise, they cease to miss out for further games. Hence, a handful of top-notch players could not make an impression in their limited chances for the present four-time champions that lead to their axing in favour of other players.

We take a look at five big cricketers who failed to make the desired impact for Mumbai Indians:

Yuvraj Singh:

Yuvraj Singh boasts of marvellous credentials as an Indian cricketer. Having made his debut in 2000, Yuvraj Singh was at the forefront of India’s victory in the T20 World Cup in 2007 and 50-over tournament in 2011. The southpaw could change gears at will and efficiently dispatch the ball over the ropes.

However, when it comes to the IPL, the 38-year old has an average record. After consistently moving from one franchise to another, he joined Mumbai Indians last year. However, Yuvraj managed only 98 runs from four games at 24.50. The left-handed batsman’s strike rate stood 130, which was way lower than in 2017, being 142.

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Glenn Maxwell:

Mumbai Indians shelled out an enormous INR 5.3 crores for swashbuckling all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. While Glenn Maxwell was not as massive a name in international cricket back then, he had shown his exploits in domestic cricket. However, despite fetching a million-dollar contract, Maxwell sat out for most of the matches.

The Victorian featured in three matches, scoring 36 runs but maintained a strike rate of 133.33. The 31-year old joined Kings XI Punjab for the subsequent season, managing 552 runs in 16 games. The same earned him the player of the tournament award. Maxwell will once again turn out for Punjab in the upcoming edition.

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Dwayne Bravo:

Veteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo is one of the best T20 all-rounders and has positively impacted the Chennai Super Kings over the years. However, in the first three years of the tournament, Dwayne Bravo plied his trade with the Mumbai Indians. He also played for Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017.

The 36-year old could bag only 26 wickets in three seasons for the four-time champions and managed 457 runs. At present, with 147 wickets in 134 wickets, the T&T all-rounder is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in history. Bravo has an economy rate of 8.39 and average of 24.39.

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Ricky Ponting:

Ricky Ponting began his IPL career with the Kolkata Knight Riders, playing under Sourav Ganguly in 2008. Ricky Ponting returned in 2013, captaining Mumbai Indians in six matches. However, the former Australian captain struggled with the bat, scoring only 52 runs in six games.

However, it proved to be a blessing in disguise for the franchise. The Tasmanian dropped himself from the line-up and installed Rohit Sharma as the captain of the side. That year, Mumbai bagged its first title and went on to lift three more in 2015, 2017, and 2019 under Rohit Sharma.

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Shikhar Dhawan:

Indian opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan is one of the best and formed one of the most fearsome combinations along with Rohit Sharma. The southpaw is one of the most prolific run-getters and an elegant driver of the ball. However, the runs have hardly come off his bat when playing in the IPL.

Shikhar Dhawan played for the Mumbai Indians in 2009 and 2010, managing only 231 runs in two editions. The 34-year old’s best season was 2012 when he scored 569 runs in a season having been part of the Deccan Chargers. He will turn out for the Delhi Capitals for the 13th season and played for the same franchise in 2019 too.

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