When you talk about Mumbai Indians (MI), you talk about IPL titles. Ever since Rohit Sharma has taken charge as captain MI’s fortunes have changed drastically and that too for the better. He ascended to the role midway through the 2013 season and he’s been absolutely magnificent. Year after year, he’s also had the team that delivers the goods. Mumbai Indians have won four IPL titles, which is the most by any team in the history of the IPL. Moreover, a couple of them came after being down and out in the league stages. They won their first title in 2013. In 2015, they came back from the dumps as they turned around a horrid start (five losses from the first six games) to eventually lift the title. They repeated the feat in 2017 and 2019 but they were a lot more convincing and were consistent throughout the season.
In the 2020 season, they will be looking to become the second team in the history of the IPL to defend the IPL crown successfully. For their title-defence, they bought six players in the auction with Chris Lynn and Nathan Coulter-Nile being the big names.
A preview of their performance last year
Like every year, Mumbai Indians didn’t really get off to the best of starts in 2019. They lost two out of their first three games and their only win came in a tight game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). But they picked up pace and won five out of the next six matches. They won regularly and did not lose two games in a row throughout the season. In fact, they finished on top of the table with 18 points (nine wins). They carried the momentum forward from the league stages and went on to win the Qualifier and then the Final as they lifted their fourth IPL title which helped them become the most successful team in the history of the IPL. They beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) four times last season, including the qualifier and the final.
Mumbai Indians Squad
Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Mohsin Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Digvijay Deshmukh, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ishan Kishan (wk), Quinton de Kock (wk), Aditya Tare
Strengths
All-rounders and middle-order core
There’s absolutely no doubt that the MI top order is strong and they have some quality players at the top. However, the real game-changers and X-factors are present in the middle. MI have one of the best middle-order cores in this competition. The four-time champions have a slew of all-rounders who can walk into bat at any time and change the course of the game. The likes of Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya and Sherfane Rutherford are the top options that MI have. And each of those can hit sixes at will and are more than handy with the ball. Add to this the likes of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav who can float around anywhere in the line-up. With Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock at the top and Chris Lynn in the mix as well, MI boast of a fabulous batting line-up.
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Fast bowling resources
Another big strength of MI is the fast bowling resources that they have at their disposal. Most of them will walk into any T20 side in the world. MI are spoilt for choice. Jasprit Bumrah is the top Indian fast bowler in the MI ranks while there’s Dhawal Kulkarni as the other Indian pacer along with Digvijay Deshmukh and Digvijay Deshmukh who were picked in this auction. Meanwhile, the overseas fast bowling options go through the roof. Mitchell McClenaghan and Lasith Malinga are MI regulars and have done well for years now. Trent Boult was drafted in through trade while Nathan Coulter-Nile got a shoo-in as MI went all out for the Aussie quick. Hence, MI have a lot of options to choose from and each of them are quality ones.
Ability to win big and pressure games
MI have won the most titles and have the experience of winning big and important games. They know how to play under pressure and have been through such situations on multiple occasions and have come out with flying colours. Most of their players have the experience of playing and performing in big, high-pressure games. And that’s a big plus as we’ve seen quite a few teams crumble under pressure and ruin their opportunities.
Weaknesses
Spinners
There’s no such apparent weakness in the MI squad and if there is one, then it has to be the spin department. MI have just four spinners in their squad – two left-arm spinners (Krunal Pandya and Anukul Roy), an off-spinner (Jayant Yadav) and a leg-spinner (Rahul Chahar) and none of them are experienced. Pandya is the most experienced T20 player among the four while the likes of Roy and Yadav haven’t really impressed a lot in the limited opportunities they’ve had.
Key players
Hardik Pandya: The Baroda seam bowling all-rounder was simply brilliant last season. He scored 402 runs at a strike-rate of 191.43 and also picked up 14 wickets. Pandya adds impeccable balance to the side. He is likely to play the floater’s role and will come in to bat according to the situation and he’s even shown that he can adapt to any surface or situation.
Quinton de Kock: 2019 was de Kock’s first year with MI and he finished the tournament as their leading run-getter, scoring 529 runs at an average of 35.27. He took quite a bit of pressure off skipper Rohit Sharma and the South African wicket-keeper’s role will not change this year either. The left-hander might take the risks in the powerplay, allowing Sharma to bat through. MI will be hoping he can give them some solid and fast starts at the top of the order.
Rahul Chahar: Year after year, MI have tended to throw in youngsters and they’ve come out with flying colours more often than not. In 2019, it was Rahul Chahar who started ahead of Mayank Markhande and he was a revelation. He may have picked 13 wickets from as many games but the leg-spinner had a great impact. With MI’s spin attack slightly on the weaker side, Chahar will have a big role to play.