IPL 2022: After 7th successive loss, can Mumbai Indians qualify for play-offs?

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by three wickets in the 33rd match of the IPL 2022 played at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.

Image Credit: Mumbai Indians Instagram (L); Getty Images (R)

Mumbai Indians are going through perhaps their worst run in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Five-time champions have failed to open their win account in the 15th edition of the T20 league, having lost their seventh consecutive game since the start of the tournament.

Image Credit: Getty Images (File Photo)

On Thursday, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated the Mumbai-based franchise by three wickets in the 33rd match of IPL 2022 at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium. The last-ball defeat against the Ravindra Jadeja-led side has given their qualification hopes a huge blow.

The loss against CSK has also led to Mumbai Indians registering a dubious record in the history of the IPL. The Rohit Sharma-led team have become the first franchise in the championship to kick off an IPL season with seven straight losses.

Image Credit: Mumbai Indians Instagram

With each IPL franchise playing 14 matches in the league round, Mumbai has already lost half of them. This means the team stand a chance to win the next seven games at best. However, is that enough for the five-time champions to qualify for the play-offs?

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In the 2014 edition, Mumbai had lost five matches in a row but had still managed to reach the knockouts. This time, however, things are more tricky. A team needs 16 points to comfortable sail through to the next round. If Mumbai manages to get even 14 points, it doesn't guarantee a spot in the play-offs as they will need a better Net Run Rate.

At present, MI have an NRR of -0.892. Even if they go on to win all the seven remaining games, Mumbai would need to do that with big margins in order to improve their NRR. With explosive batters like Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, etc., in their ranks, it may not be an impossible task. However, all this remains only a mathematical possibility as achieving such a mammoth task is a steep challenge.

Mumbai Indians' Remaining Schedule:
April 24: vs Lucknow Super Giants, 7.30pm IST, Wankhede Stadium
April 30: vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30pm IST, DY Patil Stadium
May 6: vs Gujarat Titans, 7.30pm IST, Brabourne Stadium
May 9: vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7.30pm IST, DY Patil Stadium
May 12: vs Chennai Super Kings, 7.30pm IST, Wankhede Stadium
May 17: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 7.30pm IST, Wankhede Stadium
May 21: vs Delhi Capitals, 7.30pm IST, Wankhede Stadium