Mumbai Indians are the most successful team in the history of IPL cricket, having won the title 5 times, while the next best is 4 times CSK.
The rest of the teams don’t even come close to MI when it comes to success in the IPL, and one of the reasons they could achieve this was because they had a solid Indian core who could win them not just matches but the crunch moments.
Mumbai Indians are one side who are known to unearth a lot of young Indian talents with potential, back them to their fullest giving them a long rope. In turn, these players have given them the title a record 5 times and have gone on to become mainstays either in the Indian team or be an integral part of any IPL team once they have established themselves.
Here are 5 such players who made their debut for Mumbai Indians and then went on to become great success stories in Indian cricket. The players mentioned in this list have been match-winners for the MI over the course of the last decade and, with that success, played for India as well in due time.
Jasprit Bumrah
One of the 2 active players on this list who is still actively playing for the most decorated franchise in IPL history, at least as per the contract. The pacer had to miss the entirety of the IPL 2023 due to an injury and should be back for the next season if fully fit.
Bumrah made his debut for MI in 2013 and has represented them in 120 games till the 2022 edition and has taken 145 wickets in the process. What is more special about Jasprit, the bowler is that he can bowl in all situations and all phases of the game.
His economy rate of 7.39 is outstanding for a guy who predominantly bowls at the death of a batting innings. This rare skill in him made him an integral part of the Indian team, and within no time, the pacer became one of the most talked about bowlers in the international arena as well.
His name has regularly been talked about amongst the best bowlers in this generation, and he reached the pinnacle of ICC bowling rankings on more occasions than one. So we can, with 319 international wickets for India in a career span from 2016 onwards, Bumrah has ruled Indian cricket in the pace bowling front. He has even led India in one of the Test matches in England, which is quite rare for a fast bowler, and the Ahmedabad-born pacer is an inspiration to many youngsters taking up the art of pace bowling.
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya started around the same time as Jasprit Bumrah did for India and the Mumbai Indians. The duo’s growth in stature as players were directly linked to MI winning multiple titles, and he is certainly a bonafide legend for the men in blue.
Hardik played the role of an all-rounder to perfection for the MI in the 7 seasons (2015-2021). He has played for them, scoring 1476 runs and taking 42 wickets in the 92 appearances for the franchise in the IPL. His consistency earned him a place in the Indian national team across all the formats in 2016.
Until now, barring a few issues with injuries, Hardik has fared well in international cricket, scoring 3387 runs and taking 158 wickets in 172 games across formats. He has also led the Indian team on occasions in limited-overs cricket. He is touted to be the next Indian T20I skipper following his successful stint as the captain of the Gujarat Titans, with whom he has already won an IPL title and looks set for another in the ongoing edition.
Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya, the older brother of Hardik Pandya, is not far behind when it comes to creating an impact in Indian cricket. Krunal made his IPL debut a year later than Hardik did, and he was instrumental in MI’s success instantly. He made his only IPL fifty to date in his debut game, and in the finals of the 2017 IPL, which MI won, Krunal made 47 which proved to be game-defining. Though he has moved to the Lucknow Super Giants since the 2022 edition, the spin-bowling all-rounder has picked over 50 wickets and accumulated 1000 plus runs in 84 games for MI.
He has always been seen as a leader for the dressing room, and LSG made him the team’s stand-in skipper in the absence of KL Rahul, who is out injured, and Krunal is doing a decent job. The 32-year-old has represented India for a few games since making his international debut in 2021 but is yet to establish himself at that level, unlike his brother. But either way, the cricketer Krunal Pandya became an identity after having succeeded in Mumbai Indians.
Ambati Rayudu
Touted to be the next big thing in the late 2000s, Ambati Rayudu’s career almost ended when he joined the now-defunct ICL, but MI made him his debut in 2010, and there was no looking for Rayudu after that. He immediately found success scoring 356 runs in that season for them and then continued to play for them till the 2017 edition of IPL, scoring over 2000 runs for the team.
Between these years, Rayudu made his much-anticipated Indian debut and was a key team member in the lead-up to the World Cup 2019. Though Rayudu’s IPL career graph took off after moving to CSK since the 2018 IPL, it is in MI where the right-hander has played most of his IPL games.
Rayudu has had an illustrious IPL and Indian domestic career and is a known figure, thanks to his stay with the champion IPL teams.
Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav made his IPL debut for the Mi way back in 2012, but he played only one game in the season and had to wait till 2014 to play his next game, and it was for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Surya got more game time in his tenure with KKR till 2017, but the impact was limited to a cameo knock here and there.
Though he was a known name in the Mumbai cricketing circles, it was after his 2nd coming with the Mumbai Indians that SKY was able to make a great stride in his career. He scored 4 scores of 400 plus in the 6 IPL seasons he represented them and became a household name in the Indian cricketing circles.
Following his exploits in the IPL for MI, where he part of their 2 title triumphs, Suryakumar earned the much-awaited India call-up, and he is currently the No.1 ranked T20I batter according to the latest rankings.
Yuzvendra Chahal
The highest wicket-taker in the history of IPL cricket with 187 scalps to his kitty, Yuzvendra Chahal first represented the Mumbai Indians in the now defunct Champions League tournament and played a solitary game in IPL for them in the 2013 edition. Then it was in the Royal Challengers Bangalore and now Rajasthan Royals, where he found much of his IPL success.
The leggie from Haryana is arguably the find for India from the IPL, as the national team desperately needed a dearth of wicket-taking spinners. And it was Chahal who brought them this much-needed relief winning India numerous games in limited-overs cricket.
Though MI didn’t have the services of the wily leggie for more than a year, they unearthed new talent, which greatly benefited the Indian team in the long term.
Also Read: Yuzi Chahal’s IPL Wickets – Season by Season