IPL 2019: MI secure playoff berth on back of lusty power hitting, fiery bowling display all through season  

The three time defending champions once again lived up to their billing of being 'slow starts' but peaking at the right time at the business end of the tournament, when it really matters the most to make it to the playoffs.

Mumbai Indians edged Sunrisers Hyderabad in a pulsating Super Over after both team had tied with 162 on the scoreboard at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai in yesterday's IPL encounter. The win helped Mumbai Indians become the third team after Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings to seal a berth in the playoffs of the ongoing IPL season.

The three time defending champions once again lived up to their billing of being 'slow starts' but peaking at the right time at the business end of the tournament, when it really matters the most. It has been a collective team effort by the Rohitha Sharma-led Mumbai Indians team, both with the willow and red cherry to make it to the playoffs.

Mumbai have won eight out of their thirteen games are comfortably placed second on the points table. They have a game in hand against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to further consolidate their position at the top of the points table.

So let us look into some of the factors which have played a major role in Mumbai Indians making it to the playoffs  

Quinton De Cock and Rohit Sharma have been pretty solid at the top of the order

The batting efforts of Mumbai Indians have been spearheaded by their openers Quinton De Cock and Rohit Sharma, both of whom have consistently been among the runs. While De Cock has been the aggressor at the top of the order, Rohit has shown flashes of his brilliance with his elegant stroke play. The opening duo has held the team in good stead and provided them with the platform to build some herculean totals and thereby notch up wins. The good form of the openers has somewhat negated the dismal performance of the MI middle order (Ishan Kishan, Surya Kumar Yadav) who have looked out of sorts in this IPL. While De Cock leads the run scoring charts for MI with 462 runs, skipper Rohit has chipped in meaningfully with 331 runs.

Destructive Power hitting by Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard has swung many nerve games in Mumbai's favour 

The cutting edge weapon in Mumbai Indians' batting this season has been the destructive power hitting of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard towards the end of the innings. Both Pandya and Pollard have played some absolute blinders at the fag end of some tantalizing close games to seal the fortune in favour of their team. The Pandya-Pollard duo have been on a six hitting spree, accounting for 48 towering hits over the fence. While Hardik Pandya has amassed 380 runs at a staggering strike rate of almost 200, Pollard piled up 240 runs at 155 plus strike rate.

A well rounded bowling attack with ideal blend of pace and spin has been in rich wicket-taking form 

Mumbai Indians once again banked upon their lethal seam attack which has been their strike weapon in the bowling armoury over the past couple of seasons. While their old war horse Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah were once again in rich wicket-taking form, they were lent good support by the likes of Jason Behrendorff and Alzarri Joseph who chipped in with wickets. While Bumrah is their highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps, Malinga is second to none with 12 victims to his name. Seam all-rounder Hardik Pandya has played the role of the third seamer to perfection, chipping in with 12 wickets.

It is not just pace but also a bit of spin magic which has been an integral component of Mumbai's bowling arsenal in the ongoing season of the IPL. Rahul Chahar has been one of the finds of this season. The talented leg-spinner has played his part by choking the opposition in the middle overs and building pressure on the opposition's batting line-up. Chahar has been well partnered by Krunal Pandya who as usual has been on the money with his line and length. The spin twins have accounted for 20 scalps between them and more importantly have gone under 7 per over for the entire season.

Last but not the least, Mumbai Indians have been one of the better sides on the field, with most of their players showcasing good athletic ability on the green turf. The team has some exceptional fielders at all positions. While MI have live-wires like Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav to safeguard the point and cover region, they have some fine boundary patrollers in Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya who have strong arms in the deep and can pull off some spectacular catches. Proteas glovesman De Cock has been quite clinical behind the stumps and hardly been errored with his glovework.

Mumbai Indians play their last encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 5 and would look to round off their stellar league assignment with a win and finish among the top two teams so as to get two shots in the playoffs at the title clash. It has been seen in the past that Mumbai Indians have been a force to reckon with once their get into the playoff stages of the tournament. They usually go onto cement their place in the grand finale and have come out as champions on three occasions.

So it will be interesting to see whether the 'Blue Brigade' once again repeats history by putting in their 'A' game against the best sides in the tourney when it matters the most.