Do Mumbai And Chennai Deserve Top Seeding?
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have been the two best teams of the IPL. They have won 9 IPL titles between them. Mumbai tops the charts with 5 titles while Chennai has won 4. They have played 4 finals between them with Mumbai winning 3 while Chennai winning 1. MI and CSK are the only two teams to have defended their crown up until now. They are two of the most consistent IPL sides. Here in this article, we have discussed Do Mumbai And Chennai Deserve Top Seeding?
The late rise of Mumbai Indians:
Mumbai was the costliest team in the IPL when the league started back in 2008. But Mumbai for all its firepower flattered to deceive in the initial few years of the IPL. They finished fifth in 2008 and had a poor season in 2009 wherein they finished seventh in the points table. Mumbai’s fortunes started changing when they acquired Kieron Pollard in 2010. The addition of Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary added a lot of muscle to the side. Mumbai finished as runners-up in 2010.
The tale of 5 titles in 8 years:
They made a huge signing in 2011 when they acquired Rohit Sharma. Mumbai qualified for playoffs in 2011 and 2012 but failed to go the distance. Ricky Ponting who was picked in the 2013 auctions was appointed captain. He was going through a poor run of form and quit captaincy midway.
It was at this moment when the fate of Mumbai Indians changed overnight. Rohit Sharma was appointed the captain halfway through the season. Mumbai went on to win their maiden title in 2013. They went on to win 5 titles in 8 years. Mumbai became the second side to defend their crown in 2020. They are the most successful IPL side.
The journey of Consistent Chennai Super Kings:
Chennai Super Kings have been the most consistent IPL side. They have made it to 9 IPL finals and qualified for playoffs every single time barring 2020. Chennai were right on the money ever since the IPL started. They won their maiden title in 2010 and went on to defend it in 2011. They made to the finals in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2019 but failed to lift the title. CSK were mocked for picking players who were on the wrong side of 30s. But CSK went on to dominate the past 4-year cycle winning two IPL titles in 2018 and 2021.
But was it the right decision to top seed Mumbai and Chennai?
Mumbai have been ranked as top seed followed by Chennai at number 2 owing to their title wins. But Mumbai in all fairness were below par last season. They finished fifth in the points table. Mumbai had a disappointing IPL auction hence them getting a top seed didn’t make great sense.
Chennai might be defending champions but much like Mumbai they were below par in the auctions. As there are two new teams in the mix it would have been a better option to seed teams based on a lucky draw as compared to drawing from past data.
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