If epic comebacks had to be explained to someone, tell them the story of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2015. Underdogs, sitting at the bottom of the table, staring at a string of losses, and losing bankable foreign players - Corey Anderson and Aaron Finch - to injury for the rest of the tournament l, were just some of the worries that MI had initially.

However, this was the season the Men in Blue and Gold found a mantra that they’ve stuck to till date - to BELIEVE. It looked like giving up was never in their textbooks, and the team fought tooth and nail to stick to this belief.

On a day that celebrates eight years of this IPL win, we look at highlights for the Men in Blue and Gold from the year 2015.

A slow start and a sensational comeback

The team kicked off the season with a 7-wicket loss to KKR. It was followed by losses against Punjab, RR and CSK, and four games down, the Men in Blue and Gold were yet to open their IPL 2015 account.

And then came a solitary win against RCB in their fifth game. Unfortunately, the team tasted defeat after the two points too, this time against DD. Dejection loomed over the fans, the critics had written the team off already, and the team needed at least seven wins out of the next eight games to make it to the playoffs.

And then, there was a display that put the critics in stunned silence. Five games on the trot the team won - against SRH, RR, Punjab, Delhi and CSK, before RCB stopped their winning run. But by now, the team's intention became loud and clear, that they're here to fight, and like Pollard recently said, "You. Do. Not. Write. Us. Off." And just like that, they were back in contention for the top 4.

Simmons, Rohit & Pollard have an enjoyable season

Lendl Simmons was called in by the team after Aaron Finch's exit. Turns out, he was the man the team needed all along! In 13 games, he scored a whopping 540 runs, including 6 fifties. With 56 fours, he top scored for MI, and was only the second best after David Warner in the entire tournament.

Captain Rohit Sharma also had a fantastic run with the bat. He sat at 482 runs with four fifties. His knock of 98*, despite coming in a losing cause in the very first game, showed that he was raring to go at any given chance.

Kieron Pollard too enjoyed the season, accumulating 419 runs, almost as good as his 2013 run (420 runs). More than the runs, it was his strike rate that made the difference when he descended on the field. While most players in the high scorers list have theirs at around 120-140, Pollard stands tall at 163.67, with 28 maximums to his name that year!

Malinga stands tall, McClenaghan plays second fiddle

By the end of the tournament, MI's ace pacer Lasith Malinga had the all-time most scalps in IPL. He led the bowling attack from the front, taking 24 wickets in 15 games, with best figures of 4/23 against SRH, helping MI defend a total of 157 runs.

He got ample help from Mitchell McClenaghan, who came in to replace Corey Anderson midway through the tournament. He got 18 wickets in 12 games, with a commanding 3/16 in MI’s second game against SRH. In his debut IPL season, Mitch showed the team why he was here to stay.

The two bowlers stood tall in effecting damage to the opposition's batting line up. The command of Malinga and the handy wickets from Mitch was what the team needed in getting those crucial wins.

Impressive debut season from Hardik

In his debut game for MI, he played against RCB and hit a six off the very second ball that he faced. He scored 16* (6), including two sixes, and showed spectators and the team what he was capable of doing if given a chance to prove his worth.

His true potential was particularly on show in the second league game against CSK. MI needed 30 off 12 to win it, and Hardik was at the crease. Pawan Negi, the bowler for CSK, was at the receiving end of some merciless hitting from the youngster. Four sixes, of which Hardik got 3, and a leg bye in that over brought the equation down to needing 5 off the last six balls, effecting an easy win. His score of 21* (8) also handed CSK it's first defeat at Chepauk in two years, and MI's fifth win on the trot!

Hardik also scored an excellent 61* (31) in his third game of the season, which happened to be a must-win game for MI to make it to the playoffs. His knocks in these games not only got him the Man of the Match awards, but also took the team over the winning line, and eventually to the playoffs.

Winning do-or-die games against SRH, KKR

After losing 5 of the first 6 games, MI needed to win seven of the next eight. After the five-match winning streak, a loss to RCB meant that the team had no buffer for mistakes in the next two games. They were against KKR first and then SRH.

In the game against KKR, MI set a total of 171/4, riding on a brilliant 61* (31) from young Hardik Pandya. The game came down to the last straw, and MI had to defend 12 off the last over to win the game. Pollard, the bowler shouldering this responsibility, bowled maturely to give only six runs, allowing MI to take one more step towards the playoffs.

The final game was against SRH. Turns out, the pressure brought out the best in the MI bowlers. Mitch returned with 3/16, Malinga had 2/17 and spinner J Suchit got 2/14 to restrict SRH to 113/10 in 20 overs. MI hardly broke a sweat as Simmons’ 48 and Parthiv Patel’s 51* took MI to the tournament playoffs.

A captain’s knock and a thumping win in the final

Meeting their nemesis CSK for the fourth time in the tournament, MI was playing for the spoils after a horror start to the tournament. However, the ending was not as dramatic as the fans would have wanted it to be, for, MI didn’t want any more of pushing it to the edge that season.

Batting first, the team put up an impressive 202/5, riding on Simmons’ 68 (45) and Rohit’s 50* (26). Despite CSK opener Dwayne Smith scoring 57 (48), the team kept losing wickets regularly.

While Mitch yet again scalped three wickets, Malinga and veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh got two each. Pacer Vinay Kumar took one wicket too. In the end, MI reigned as champions, a stark contrast to their start, with a thumping 41-run win over CSK.

MI’s never-give-up attitude had brought with it a sweet, sweet win that gave every cricket fan a tournament to remember, every MI player the confidence in themselves, and every fan a reason to cheer!