The biggest Twenty20 franchise cricket league, the Indian Premier League, is just days away. All the squads have reached the UAE, and some of them have even started training. With all the preparations going in full flow before the IPL, we are here to discuss the probable playing XIs of all the teams.
So we are starting with the 4 times as well as the defending champions, the Mumbai Indians. Here’s the probable playing XI that MI can begin with, at least for the first game.
You can read for other teams, here in this section.
1. Rohit Sharma (C)
Skipper Rohit Sharma will open for the Mumbai Indians. He is a very explosive opener in white-ball cricket, and everyone knows what he is capable of. He is the third-highest run-scorer in the history of the IPL, with 4898 runs in 188 games. He had scored 405 runs in 15 games last season, which isn’t that good considering how good he is. Mumbai will want their skipper to perform well with the bat this season and lead them to another title win.
2. Quinton de Kock (WK)
The Protea captain Quinton de Kock will open along with Rohit Sharma. De Kock was the highest run-scorer from Mumbai in 2019, and third overall with 529 runs in 16 games. He is one of the best limited-overs batters currently and also provides a left-hand, right-hand combination at the top. De Kock exploited the field restrictions of the powerplay and provided MI a quick start. Mumbai will expect something similar from him this season too.
3. Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav will bat at 3 for MI Paltan. He performed exceptionally well for them last season. He controlled the innings in case of an early collapse and accelerated when needed. He played well against CSK in Chepauk. He scored 424 runs and played a vital role in the middle order for the defending champions. He anchored the innings well in almost all the games and laid a platform for their finishers to take on the death overs’ bowling.
4. Ishan Kishan
Ishan will bat at 4. He is a very exciting young, explosive batter known for his big-hitting in the middle overs. He maintains the run-rate in the middle overs and keeps the momentum going. The southpaw scored 101 runs in 7 games last season, including a blistering 62 against KKR last season where he went bonkers against Kuldeep Yadav in the middle overs. He’ll want to perform more consistently for the Mumbai Indians this season.
5. Hardik Pandya
Star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya will bat at 5. Known for his big sixes, Pandya is one of the most important players of the side. He has the ability to whack sixes from the first ball. He can take on any bowling line-up, and himself is very handy with the bowl. He scored 402 runs in 16 games at a whopping strike-rate of 191.42 and picked up 14 wickets last season. The same kind of performance will be expected from this time around.
6. Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard will bat after Hardik Pandya. He is as aggressive as one can get in the t20 format. He bats a bit low in the Mumbai batting line-up, so he doesn’t get too many balls to face, He is an excellent player of both spin and fast bowling. He scored 279 runs in 16 games at a strike-rat of 156.74, including a brilliant knock of 83 against KXIP when he led the side in Rohit’s absence.
7. Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya will be the second all-rounder in the Mumbai Indians squad.after his brother Hardik. Krunal is a utility player to have in the XI. He can bat up higher when the team needs to control the innings, can score big when needed, and is also very good with his left-arm orthodox bowling and a great fielder to go with all that. Krunal scored 183 runs in 16 games and had 12 wickets to his name in the 2019 season of the IPL. Krunal is a very busy player, and his team will expect some good performances by him in the 2020 edition.
8. Rahul Chahar
Rahul Chahar was one of the finds of the 2019 IPL. The leggie was an essential part of the Mumbai bowling line-up, leading their spin attack with Krunal Pandya. The young leg spinner is very promising and is a genuine wicket-taker. He bowls fast leg spinners and will be very important for the Mumbai Indians, especially on the UAE’s ample and spin-friendly grounds. He picked 13 wickets in 13 games at an impressive economy of 6.77 runs per over. He brings variety to the MI bowling attack, and expectations will be very high from him.
9. Mitchell McClenaghan
Mitch McClenaghan has been with the Mumbai Indians for five years now. The left-arm pacer is a consistent performer for the Mumbai team all these years. He hits the deck hard, bowls in the powerplay, and the death overs and is a proven wicket-taker. He has delivered for them under tight situations and also has some experience of the UAE conditions as he played in the T10 tournament, which was organized there. The Kiwi bowler played in 5 games last season and picked 3 wickets but is a good bowler and is expected to play most of the games this season.
10. Trent Boult
Trent Boult is the newest addition in the Mumbai squad this season. Boult will most probably take the new ball for them this season, and everybody knows how good he is in the powerplay. He picks early wickets, which is very crucial in the shortest format. He swings the ball, which will be very important at the start of the innings. Boult has picked 38 wickets in 33 games so far in his IPL career and will surely want to make a name for himself in the league.
11. Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is arguably the most critical player in this Mumbai line-up. He stops the flow of runs in the death overs and picks wickets every time the skipper wants him to. He is one of the best bowlers in world cricket right now in all the three formats. No teams have the answer to his death bowling, and teams avoid taking any chances against him. Bumrah picked 19 wickets in 16 games at an economy of 6.63; this shows how valuable he is for the Mumbai Indians. Mumbai will expect him to continue his excellent form going into this season.
So this was our predicted playing XI for the Mumbai Indians this season. There can be a few changes after the initial games, but this is the 11 for at least the first game of the season. Their team looks outstanding on paper and is a sure shot contender for the 2020 edition title.
