Joy, sorrow, excitement and opportunity; these four primary adjectives loosely define how cricket lived itself in the tapestry of 2023.

With 2023 being the ODI World Cup year and the 10th anniversary of Mumbai Indians winning a maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy, the year also grew in strength and spirit for women’s cricket, with us winning the inaugural Women’s Premier League.

Each month had an event that became an unforgettable memory for cricket fans in India and of the Mumbai Indians, and thus, we briefly reminisced about those few extraordinary moments.

A MI-lestone WPL

The fourth of March, 2023, will be remembered as the dawn of a revolution for women’s cricket in India with the successful launch of the Women’s Premier League. The most extraordinary talents in the women’s circuit arrived and delivered a banquet of quality cricket and entertainment that would remain etched in the hearts and minds of those who championed the cause of women's cricket.

Twenty-two matches, five teams and one champion - Mumbai Indians. The mercurial synchronisation of a team boasting of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, complete all-rounders in Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr, the lightning-quick bowler in Issy Wong (first WPL player with a hat-trick), an unsung hero in Yastika Bhatia and the law-bending spin wizard in Saika Ishaque pioneered MI to win the first-ever Women’s Premier League.

Akash Madhwal’s electric five-wicket haul vs LSG

Cometh the hour, Cometh the man. Akash Madhwal turned Chepauk into his hunting ground with a spell of 5/5 in just 3.3 overs against Lucknow Super Giants. The Uttarakhand gem would become the first to scalp five wickets in an IPL knockout fixture. Furthermore, Madhwal would match Anil Kumble’s performance (5/5 vs RR) in 2009.

Arjun Tendulkar makes IPL debut

The wait was long, but when it came, it was just a joyous yet mature moment to soak in. Most importantly, Arjun Tendulkar made his much-anticipated IPL debut on a day when Mumbai Indians - via the ‘Education and Sports for All’ initiative - celebrated the girl child and invited over 19,000 girls to the fortress known as Wankhede Stadium.

In the game, the young bowler bowled two overs and conceded 17 runs in the presence of his proud father, Sachin Tendulkar.

Cam Green hits the accelerator to maiden IPL century

Everyone in the MI camp knew and believed that Cameron Green was made for big surprises, and he indeed repaid the faith in the final league game of IPL 2023 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. It took 20 balls to his IPL fifty and the next 27 to his first-ever hundred in the Indian Premier League.

A SKY special in IPL 2023

Aapla Dada Surya was ethereal with the bat in the T20 format in 2022, and he carried the same form in IPL 2023 by notching 605 runs in 16 games. Along the way, SKY would also do something special - hit his maiden IPL hundred against Gujarat Titans in just 49 balls. The knock was packaged with 11 fours and six maximums, striking at 210.20.

Rohit Sharma at Cricket World Cup 2023

Before and during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, the word ‘pressure’ was infused in the questions thrown at Rohit Sharma. But the Indian captain played it cool and let his performance as a batter and a captain do the talking. While he smacked 597 runs at the top of the order and became the joint-fastest to 1000 runs in World Cups (19 innings alongside David Warner), the Hitman would carry India all the way to the CWC final. 

Ishan’s Test debut and *that* half-century vs Pakistan

Ishan Kishan had to wait for six months since his first Test call-up to the Indian cricket team to don the iconic whites on the cricket pitch officially. India’s Test player #307 would remain unbeaten on his maiden innings but later score a half-century in the second Test to ensure his Test career started smoothly.

Some months later, the Pocket Dynamo would ink his name in the record books by joining MS Dhoni (twice) and SC Khanna to notch a half-century against Pakistan in Asia Cups. A gritty 81-ball 82 ensured India would remain in the ascendancy until the weather gods played spoilsport and got the fixture called off.

It’s TV time (India Version)

Following two incredible seasons of IPL cricket, it was about time that Tilak Varma would upgrade from the Blue and Gold to the Blues of India. He would amass 173 in his maiden T20I series against the West Indies, including a half-century in just his second international outing for the Men in Blue. Since then, the young southpaw has been a constant presence in the team and is destined for better performances in 2024.

‘H’ in Hardik stands for Homecoming

Back to where it started. Hardik Pandya, an eternal fan favourite for the Paltan and someone who gave us so many memories in his first stint, is BACK! And what’s more? He is to succeed our legend, our icon Rohit Sharma, as the next captain of the Mumbai Indians — a surreal moment, as said in his own words.

The Class of 2024

Lastly, we opened the doors to welcome some exciting talents and established stars into the Fa-MI-ly.

* Gerald Coetzee

* Dilshan Madushanka

* Shreyas Gopal

* Nuwan Thushara

* Naman Dhir

* Anshul Kamboj

* Mohammad Nabi

* Shivalik Sharma

Paltan, 2023 was an eventful year for Indian cricket and also Mumbai Indians. And 2024 has a lot in store for us, especially with it being the year of the ICC T20 World Cup. Let us know your best moments of 2023 in the comments and what your bucket list wishes for 2024 are.