The biggest talking point so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 has been Mumbai Indians' worst-ever start to a season. The most successful side has lost their first eight matches, with the latest coming against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday.
Rohit Sharma & Co suffered a 36-run loss against debutants Lucknow Super Giants with KL Rahul slamming his second centory of IPL 2022. Incidentally, Rahul's both tons in IPL 2022 came against Mumbai Indians. Thus, the five-time champions have recorded the worst start to an IPL season for any team.
But Mumbai Indian's eight defeats on the trot is not the worst streak in IPL. For the record, Delhi Capitals in their previous avatar as the Daredevils became the first team to lose the first six matches in a season (2013), a record which was replicated by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019.
These losing streaks pale in comparison to what three other teams have achieved during the course of an IPL season. Here's a look at the longest losing streaks in IPL:
Kolkata Knight Riders (9): Played in South Africa, the second edition of IPL in 2009 witnessed Kolkata Knight Riders losing nine matches on the trot. The Brendon McCullum-led side won just three matches in 14 matches to finish eighth in the eight-team league. One match, against Chennai Super Kings, was abandoned due to rain.
Pune Warriors India (9, twice): They competed in three IPL seasons but failed to mark a mark. In their second and third seasons, Pune Warriors equalled KKR's nine-match losing streak. The 2012 season witnessed Sourav Ganguly taking over as the captain from cancer-battling Yuvraj Singh, only to be sacked later, after the team's poor results. They won four in 16 matches to finish at the bottom of the nine-team league.
In 2013, Angelo Mathews initially led the side but the team's fortunes didn't change. The Sri Lankan all-rounder was replaced by Ross Taylor, and the New Zealand cricketer was replaced by Aaron Finch in a captaincy mary-go-round. They won four in 16 matches but avoided the wooden spoon thanks to Delhi Daredevils' three wins.
Delhi Capitals/Daredevils (9): After finishing last in the previous season, the Delhi team assembled a team from the scratch with no players retained. In 14 matches, the JP Duminy-led side lost all but two matches, including the final nine matches. Their two wins was the joint record for the least wins in a season, along with Deccan Chargers in the inaugural edition. Chargers endured a seven-match winless run that season.
Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab) also lost seven successive matches in 2015, while Delhi Capitals lost six matches on the trot twice in 2013. Royal Challengers Bangalore lost six matches on the trot in 2017.
