Mumbai Indians’ Women’s Premier League title defence has hit unaccustomed turbulence, and head coach Lisa Keightley is in no doubt where the problems began. A quad strain for Hayley Matthews in the final training week, followed by a fractured finger for G Kamalini, ripped up a settled top order before a ball had been bowled.
“Injuries and sickness to two of our key players was tough,” Keightley said after Friday’s 14-run defeat to Gujarat Giants – MI’s fifth loss in eight matches. “We had to find combinations and probably do a few things a little bit different. We’ve probably struggled to get that momentum into our season and obviously being put under pressure early and losing matches was not ideal.”
The disruption has been stark. MI, champions twice in the league’s first three seasons, have already used four opening partnerships. Matthews returned after a fortnight but has managed only one fifty, while makeshift partner S Sajana – recruited as a late-innings finisher – has posted 10, 9, 7 and 26 since being pressed into an unfamiliar role.
“It’s tough when you’re missing a world-class opening batter. It’s hard to replace. I don’t think it’s been any different for MI from the first three years to this year,” Keightley noted, pointing out that most sides remain heavily reliant on their marquee players.
Amelia Kerr was considered as another overseas option at the top, yet the coaching staff hesitated to shift the New Zealander away from her preferred middle-order slot. That caution has left Sajana to face the new ball against attacks featuring the likes of Shabnim Ismail and Lea Tahuhu.
“And it’s just how you build your squad around that and the domestic players step up. We just had a lot of moving parts, like Sajana, to be totally honest. We picked her to bat at six and she started the tournament fantastically and did the role so well. And it was just unfortunate we had to make a few adjustments after Kamalini’s gone home.”
The 27-year-old Kerala right-hander has embraced the challenge, Keightley insisted. “But to her [Sajana’s] credit, she was really keen to try and go out there and do the best for the team. It’s not easy going out facing world-class bowlers in this competition. She was really doing team first and trying to do the best for the team and get the job done as well as she could.”
Statistically, Mumbai’s batting is down almost 20 runs per match compared with last season. The bowling unit – spearheaded by Issy Wong and Harmanpreet Kaur’s off-spin – has held opponents to middling totals, but frequent power-play collapses have left too much to do at the back end.
Keightley is reluctant to declare the campaign derailed, yet admits the equation for a top-three finish is now out of their hands. A pair of victories in the final week would take MI to 12 points; a single slip could leave them relying on net run-rate.
The Australian is looking for calm rather than reinvention. “We’ve said to the group, let’s not chase the season,” she explained in the post-match huddle. “What we do well has won trophies before. We just need a settled start, a couple of good stands, and the confidence will come.”
Maintaining belief may be the hardest task. Injuries heal, but the league table does not wait. Keightley and Mumbai must discover that elusive stability quickly, or hand over the crown they have worn so comfortably up to now.
