A lot can happen over a decade! Players, coaches, venues, rules, rewards and a lot more change over such a long period of time. However, one thing stays constant – our fans, the Paltan. Mumbai Indians have had some memorable moments in all these years and the Paltan surely remembers most of them, if not all. The IPL made its way into a cricket fan’s life in 2008, a few months after India won the inaugural World T20. The setting was perfect for a massive league and icon players were chosen for each of the eight teams. Without doubt, Sachin Tendulkar was the icon player for Mumbai Indians.

Eight cities meant that there would be a divide between cricket fans across the nation. These fans were used to supporting the nation together, but the league explored new avenues and new loyalties among fans. Mumbai had always been a hot-stop for cricket, right from the time the sport took shape in our country. Having produced legendary cricketers like Vinoo Mankad, Ajit Wadekar, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar to name a few, the Mumbai Indians name had a strong backing right from the beginning of the IPL. We gave our fans a name – the Paltan. They are an ever-growing force whose cheers at our home grounds alone, have sent shivers down our oppositions’ spines. The Paltan has been loud on the field and off the field for the team, making sure the boys receive all the support in good and bad times.

As Mumbai Indians’ embark on their 10th season of the IPL, we thought it would be great to look back at the best moments from the seasons gone by. Let’s take you down memory lane, as we celebrate 10 years of loyalty and bonding with Mumbai Indians. Here are MI’s top 10 moments in the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL)

2008 – A season of firsts

The first home game, the first wicket, the first run – all of these were special moments. However, the one that stands out is Mumbai Indians’ first win at the Wankhede Stadium. Sanath Jayasuriya’s innings made it even more special, adding icing to the cake. He smashed the first century by an MI batsman and sent 12 balls into the crowd, all over the Wankhede, chasing down Chennai Super Kings’ total down in no time whatsoever.

2009: In the Rainbow Nation

With the IPL happening in South Africa, all the teams had to adjust to the pitches and the grounds there. Under tough conditions our boys did reasonably well. Lasith Malinga played his first game for MI and has been an irresistible force since. Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar made the most of their experience and slammed a 127-run opening stand against Kolkata Knight Riders. Later In the tournament, Bhajji went on to claim the first four-wicket haul by an MI bowler. The season did not end the way Mumbai Indians would have wanted to, but there were a few memories to take from the Rainbow Nation.

2010 – New home ground, Master’s season

With the Wankhede Stadium undergoing renovation, Brabourne Stadium took centre-stage for Mumbai Indians’ home games. A host of new players joined the squad in this season – Kieron Pollard, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary to name a few, and they all had a successful season. The Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar had a phenomenal season, ending up as the highest run-getter and claiming the prestigious ‘Orange Cap’. After a season filled with good team-work, Mumbai Indians made it to their first IPL final, a game which we eventually lost to Chennai Super Kings.

However, Harvhajan Singh’s heroics in a game against Deccan Chargers takes the cake! Mumbai Indians’ middle-order capitulated and they were reduced to 119/7, when Tendulkar fell for 55. Enter, Harbhajan Singh, at number 9! He was seeing the ball like a football, right from the start. He smashed the Deccan Chargers bowlers all around the park to take the total to 172, and finished on an unbeaten 49 off 18 balls. He wasn’t done just there! He opened the bowling and returned figures of 3/31. A truly all-round show!

2011 – 5-fers and last ball finishes

Many of the Mumbai Indians players came to their own in the 4th season of the IPL. The first five-fer by an MI bowler was witnessed in their very first game. Malinga ripped through the Delhi Daredevils batsmen and didn’t even need to complete his quota of four overs. This was followed by five-wicket hauls by Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel, later in the season.

Our players’ bats did a lot of talking too! We all know that Sachin Tendulkar was the maestro of centuries during his career. By 2011, he already held the record of the most ODI and Test tons. After 3 IPL seasons, Tendulkar’s bat gave him his first IPL ton, when Mumbai Indians played Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Two last ball finishes remain stuck in every Paltan fan’s memories – Rohit Sharma’s against PWI and more importantly, Rayudu’s pull to seal a play-off berth off the final ball by Balaji.

2012 – Smithsonic and in love with Eden

1, W, 1, 6, 4, 4 – Remember this finish by Dwayne Smith off Ben Hilfenhaus’ bowling? When the odds were down and the chips had fallen, Dwayne Smith had something special lined up. Three majestic blows and game over! You can never forget this one, right?

The Smithsonic knock wasn’t the only one, our current captain saw the start of something special for him too! By now, we all know about Rohit Sharma’s love affair with Eden Gardens. It all began in this IPL game when he took the hosts, Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowlers to the cleaners. The 109 comprised of a mixture of powerful and lazily elegant strokes. He nearly got one more IPL century on the venue, in 2015 too, when he scored an unbeaten 98.

2009: The slip that didn’t cost the title

After Mumbai Indians scored 209, it was impeccable to watch Ricky Ponting stay alert, the way he did on the first ball of the innings. Harbhajan Singh bowled a floater and Unmukt Chand got a leading edge that lobbed up towards cover. Ponting had a few paces to cover to his right, and he would have gobbled it down 100 times out of 100. But, there had to be a twist in the tale! He slipped, lost time, and then had to gather momentum once again. Like a hare, Ponting regained balance, lunged towards the dipping ball and brought a magical celebration out of Harbhajan after finishing the catch.

And yes, that slip didn’t really cost us the title that year. In fact, Mumbai Indians went on to win their maiden IPL. It was heart-breaking to watch MI lose in their first IPL final, in 2010. But, our boys wouldn’t let the Paltan go through it, a second time. On the day, there were a few jitters while batting first! The top order failed, but the heavy shoulders of Kieron Pollard took up the responsibility. He smashed an unbeaten 60 to take the total to 148. Defending a rather unsafe total, Malinga and Johnson set the cat among the pigeons and MI beat CSK by 23 runs to lift their maiden IPL title.

2014: Shaky start to a whirlwind finish in the league stages

2014 didn’t begin well for Mumbai Indians. The team went through five consecutive losses in their first five games. Enter Lendl Simmons – who turned the fortunes for the team with the bat. He scored a flamboyant century against KXIP to follow it up with some more contributions. When it mattered the most, the team got its act together to pull in a string of victories. It all came down to the final league game of the season, against Rajasthan Royals, and this is what happened…

One league game to play, a net run rate to boost to qualify! That is a position no team wants to be in at the business end of the tournament. Mumbai Indians were in such a dilemma and there were a few strings attached, on which their qualification for the play-offs depended. The game was against Rajasthan Royals! The visitors had set 190, which wasn’t easy to chase down under normal circumstances too. However, the MI batsmen probably ate some magic during the innings break and chased the target down in 14.4 overs with an unforgettable ‘Aditya Tare SIX’. MI entered the play-offs with arguably, one of the best games of the IPL.

2015: New arrivals, 2-time champions

Ricky Ponting became full-time coach of Mumbai Indians in 2015 and a few new faces were picked up at the auction. Two of them set the season on fire with their aggression – Hardik Pandya and Mitchell McClenaghan. Pandya showed his destructiveness with the bat, while Mitch made fine pairing with Lasith Malinga.

While these newbies were carving a niche for themselves, Mumbai Indians had lost 5 out of their first 6 games at the start of their campaign. Most teams would be struggling to get back from such a position, but not MI. The revival came about with our batsmen and bowlers keeping their cool and putting in a string of consistent performances. Lendl Simmons scored a few half centuries, while Malinga and McClenaghan rattled batsmen time and again with the ball. In their next 10 games in that season, MI lost just one and went on to lift their second IPL title. Not to forget, we even went 2-1 up on our head-to-head record against our rivals, CSK in IPL finals.

2016: The KPs show

After winning in 2015, Mumbai Indians failed to qualify for the play-offs in 2016. However, that didn’t mean that the Paltan didn’t have moments to cherish from the season. Two KPs – the experienced Kieron Pollard and the young Krunal Pandya came to the fore with the bat. Kieron Pollard was in a bulldozing mood against KKR at home. He took control of the chase and stormed MI home, scoring the fastest half century by an MI batsman in the process.

Hardik Pandya had made headlines in the previous season, but in 2016, it was his elder brother’s turn. Krunal Pandya, an all-rounder, was promoted up the order against Delhi Daredevils. He seized the opportunity with both his hands and the bat, scoring a blitzkrieg 86 off just 37 balls to raise eyeballs.

Moments like these stay etched in the memory! It could be one shot, one wicket, an entire innings or one spell, but they can be watched time and again. Many years down the line, you can proudly tell the next generation that you watched all the moments above and feel nostalgic about it. The 10th season of the IPL is in itself a major achievement for the league. Our team has got stronger each year, and we have a crop of players who can give us many more nostalgic moments in this landmark season too. Let’s commemorate the 10th edition of the IPL with many more memories which will never be forgotten.