In sports, the ‘Road to Glory’ is a royal rumble. On the one hand, there is ambition, talent, and hard work; on the other, there is luck, timing, and process. Take lessons from failure and turn it into success.

MI’s 2024 IPL season has started with three losses. Has this happened for the first time? No. Have we overturned the tables before? Yes. And in style! 

Let’s look back at  three such instances where we used our setbacks as trials and crafted our way back up the ladder to script triumphs. Join us as we take a short walk back in time and relive it.

2014: L,L,L,L,L to that Aditya Tare six moment

Mumbai Indians entered the 2014 edition as defending champions and that season was conducted in two legs owing to the Indian elections - one in the UAE and one back home. The first half of the season saw MI return without a win on the table - losing five games in a row. But, upon coming home, and in their first outing, the Blue and Gold flipped the switch and would go on to win seven of their next nine league outings. Fun Fact: We began our turnaround against Punjab Kings - who had won all their matches in UAE - and that too on ESA Day. The most memorable moment though was making it to the play-offs, courtesy that epic chase in 14.4 over against Rajasthan Royals where Aditya Tare smashed that epic six. 

2015: Five losses in six games, to lifting the trophy by the end of it

It was a bit like 2014 all over again, but better. Here is where the true MI Mentality kicked in. One win in six games seemed a worry, but the cloud of uncertainty was washed away with an 18-run triumph against RCB. A 15-ball 42 blitz from Rohit Sharma and Lendl Simmons’ half-century (59) laid the blueprint of the winning formula for the juggernaut run ahead - that saw the Blue and Gold win seven of their next eight league games and go on to upstage CSK twice - Qualifier 1 and Final - to take home their second IPL crown. And for what it is worth, we exacted revenge on the Yellow Brigade for the Eliminator loss in 2014.

2018: Nearly qualified for the play-offs, despite five losses in the first six games 

This year, in hindsight, was a plate-shifting season. The squad's mix of experience and young, raw talents didn’t click initially, as they lost five of their initial six games, including the first three in a row. But come the game against Chennai, and we had a comprehensive eight-wicket triumph highlighted by Hitman’s unbeaten 33-ball 56. This performance resurrected the team's belief, the promise of a fightback, and the MI mentality renewed. And while we were inches short of making it into the playoffs, losing the last league game in a close heartbreak, the biggest takeaway was that the team didn’t give in. 

Yes, Paltan, we have been in such a situation before. We have only arrived at a checkpoint to test our mental strength, team unity and fighting spirit. BELIEVE..

As our captain, Hardik Pandya, said, “If there's one thing you should know about this team, we never give up. We'll keep fighting, we'll keep going.” So get behind the boys and keep the outpour of support coming in on all platforms. We are reading, we are soaking it in, and we are getting close to where we belong - stitching a ‘W’ to every IPL 2024 contest awaiting us on our Mission 2024 journey.