The Mumbai Indians are a professional Twenty20 cricket team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team is popularly referred to as MI or MI Paltan. The MI were founded in 2008 and are owned by India's largest conglomerate, Reliance Industries, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Indiawin Sports. Since its establishment, the team has primarily played its home matches at the 33,108-capacity Wankhede Stadium. It is one of the most successful teams in the IPL.
In 2017, the Mumbai Indians became the first franchise to cross the $100 million mark in brand value. The brand value of the Mumbai Indians in 2019 was estimated around ₹809 crore ($115 million), the highest among all the IPL franchises for the fourth consecutive year.
The Mumbai Indians won the 2011 Champions League Twenty20 after beating the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 31 runs in the final. The team won the double by winning its first IPL title, in 2013, by defeating the Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs in the final, and then defeated the Rajasthan Royals by 33 runs to win its second Champions League Twenty20 title both in the captaincy of Rohit Sharma later that year. They won their second IPL title on 24 May 2015 by defeating the Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs in the final the final and became the third team to win more than one IPL title. On 21 May 2017, they won their third IPL title by defeating the Rising Pune Supergiant by one run in the final, thus becoming the first team to win three IPL titles. While playing the tournament, they won their 100th T20, becoming the first team to do so. In 2019, they repeated the same feat as they won a record breaking fourth IPL title, by beating CSK by just 1 run on 12 May 2019 in the IPL Final. They became the first team to win the IPL title for the fifth time, by beating the Delhi Capitals by 5 wickets on 10 November 2020 in the IPL Final.
The Mumbai Indians are currently captained by Hardik Pandya. Mahela Jayawardene was appointed as head coach of the Mumbai Indians before the 2025 season. Kieron Pollard is the batting coach and Lasith Malinga is their bowling coach. Rohit Sharma is the leading run scorer of the team while Jasprit Bumrah is the leading wicket taker of the team.
Franchise history The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced in September 2007, the establishment of the Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 competition to be started in 2008. On January 24, 2008, the BCCI unveiled the owners of eight city-based franchises. The Mumbai franchise was sold to the Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) for $111.9 million, making it the most expensive team to be sold in the league. RIL, owned by Mukesh Ambani, acquired the rights to the franchise for a period of 10 years.
2008–2009: Struggle in the initial seasons
The Indian Premier League named four players as icon players for their respective city franchises, making them unavailable for the player auction; Sachin Tendulkar was designated as Mumbai's icon player. At the inaugural player auctions in February 2008, the Mumbai franchise purchased several international stars, including Sanath Jayasuriya, Harbhajan Singh, Shaun Pollock, Lasith Malinga, and Robin Uthappa. Tendulkar was appointed captain with Lalchand Rajput as head coach.
However, a hamstring injury sidelined Tendulkar at the start of the 2008 season, leading Harbhajan Singh to take over the captaincy. The team lost its first four matches, including a five-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in their opener on 20 April 2008. Following the "Slapgate" incident where Harbhajan was suspended for striking Sreesanth, Shaun Pollock assumed leadership duties. Under Pollock, Mumbai won six consecutive matches but ultimately finished fifth in the points table, missing the semi-finals by a single point after three narrow losses in their final four games.
The 2009 season was relocated to South Africa due to security concerns surrounding the 2009 Indian general election. Before the season, Mumbai traded Robin Uthappa for Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra for Shikhar Dhawan. Despite the return of Lasith Malinga and the addition of JP Duminy, the team struggled with consistency. Reliance on a few key performers resulted in only five wins from 14 matches, leaving Mumbai in seventh place.
2010–2012: Rise as a strong team
At the 2010 players auction, Mumbai Indians signed Trinidadian all-rounder Kieron Pollard for $750,000 following a secret tie-breaker process. Former India cricketer Robin Singh was appointed head coach, while Shaun Pollock moved into a bowling coach role. Due to renovations at the Wankhede Stadium for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, the team played its home matches at the Brabourne Stadium. Mumbai dominated the league stage, finishing top of the table with 20 points. Sachin Tendulkar won the Orange Cap for the season's highest run-scorer (618 runs). However, the team lost the final to Chennai Super Kings by 22 runs, with management facing criticism for tactical decisions regarding the batting order.
In 2011, Mumbai Indians retained Tendulkar, Harbhajan, Pollard, and Malinga. In the subsequent auction, they made a significant acquisition by signing Rohit Sharma for $2 million. The team finished third in the league stage and won the Eliminator against Kolkata Knight Riders before losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second qualifier. Malinga finished the season as the leading wicket-taker with 28 dismissals.
Later that year, despite missing several key Indian players due to injury, Mumbai Indians won their first major trophy by defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2011 Champions League Twenty20 final. Due to the injury crisis, the CLT20 governing council allowed Mumbai to field an unprecedented five overseas players. Harbhajan Singh captained the team to a 31-run victory in the final, where he was named Player of the Match.
Before the start of the 2012 season, Mumbai Indians acquired Dinesh Karthik from Kings XI Punjab and Pragyan Ojha from Deccan Chargers. At the auction, the franchise added R. P. Singh, Thisara Perera, and Mitchell Johnson. Prior to the season opener, Sachin Tendulkar stepped down as captain, with Harbhajan Singh appointed as his successor. The team struggled with opening combinations due to Tendulkar's injuries and Mitchell Johnson being ruled out for the season, leading to the recruitment of Dwayne Smith as a replacement. Mumbai finished third in the league stage but were eliminated by Chennai Super Kings in the Eliminator, losing by 38 runs.
2013: The IPL and CLT20 Double
The 2013 IPL marked a turning point for the franchise with Anil Kumble joining as chief mentor. Ricky Ponting was initially appointed captain, but after a prolonged slump in batting form, he voluntarily stepped down from the team. Rohit Sharma was named captain mid-season, a move that significantly improved the team's performance. Under Sharma's leadership, Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs in the final at Eden Gardens to secure their maiden IPL title. Kieron Pollard was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 60.
Mumbai Indians continued their success in the 2013 Champions League Twenty20. Despite a slow start, they qualified for the knockout stage following a crucial win over the Perth Scorchers. In the final against Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai posted 202/6 and won by 33 runs, becoming the first team to win the IPL and CLT20 double in the same year. This match also marked the final competitive T20 appearance for both Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
2014–2020: Period of dominance
The 2014 season began poorly for the defending champions, as they lost all five matches during the tournament's opening leg in the United Arab Emirates. However, upon returning to India, the team staged a remarkable recovery. In their final league match against Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai achieved a highly improbable qualification for the playoffs by chasing a target of 190 in just 14.4 overs. The winning runs were scored via a six by Aditya Tare off the final ball of the required window, leading to a dramatic improvement in their net run rate. Their campaign eventually ended with a loss to Chennai Super Kings in the Eliminator.
In 2015, Mumbai Indians mirrored their previous year's start by losing four consecutive early matches. Despite losing Aaron Finch and Corey Anderson to injury, the team found success with the opening pair of Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel, supported by the arrival of pace bowler Mitchell McClenaghan. Mumbai won nine of their final ten games, culminating in a 41-run victory over Chennai Super Kings in the final to secure their second IPL title.
The 2017 season saw Mumbai finish at the top of the points table for the second time. In a low-scoring final against Rising Pune Supergiant, Mumbai defended a total of 129, winning by a single run on the final ball of the match. This victory made them the first team to win three IPL titles. The team's dominance continued as they secured back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020, defeating Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals respectively. The 2020 victory, achieved in the UAE during the COVID-19 pandemic, cemented their reputation as the league's most successful franchise with five championships.
In the 2018 season, Mumbai Indians finished fifth, narrowly missing the playoffs after recording six wins and eight losses.
The 2019 season saw Mumbai Indians clinch a record-breaking fourth title by defeating Chennai Super Kings in the final by just one run. The match concluded with a dramatic final delivery where Lasith Malinga trapped Shardul Thakur lbw, with Chennai requiring two runs to win. During the league stage, several individual records were set, including Alzarri Joseph recording the best bowling figures in IPL history (6/12) on his debut against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Additionally, Hardik Pandya recorded the season's fastest fifty (off 17 balls) during a 91-run innings against Kolkata Knight Riders.
In the 2020 season, which was relocated to the United Arab Emirates due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India, Mumbai Indians achieved their most dominant campaign to date. After finishing top of the league table, they defeated Delhi Capitals by five wickets in the final to secure their fifth championship and become only the second team to successfully defend an IPL title. The victory solidified their status as the most successful franchise in the league's history at that time.
2021–present: Period of transition and struggles
Prior to the 2021 season, Mumbai Indians released several squad members but re-acquired Nathan Coulter-Nile and signed experienced leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. The team struggled on the slow, spinning tracks in Chennai during the tournament's first half, eventually finishing fifth in the points table and missing the playoffs for the first time in three years.
The 2022 Mega Auction saw a significant roster overhaul. While the team retained the core of Sharma, Bumrah, Pollard, and Yadav, they made Ishan Kishan the second-most expensive Indian player in auction history at ₹15.25 crore. The season was the franchise's statistically worst, as they lost their first eight consecutive matches and finished at the bottom of the table.Interestingly they also terminated the services of Robin Singh who was largely instrumental in all their trophy’s and replaced him with the resignation of Kieron Pollard as a player now filling the former batting coaches shoes
In 2023, despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah due to a back injury, Mumbai reached the playoffs. The season was highlighted by the emergence of uncapped players like Tilak Varma and Akash Madhwal, the latter taking 5/5 in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants. However, they were eliminated by Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2.