With the ninth edition of the IPL about to start today, here is a look at the players to watch out for in the first match between Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians and MS Dhoni's Rising Pune SuperGiants:
Mumbai Indians
Jos Butler: Mumbai Indians bought Butler for a whopping 3.8cr. After his heroics with the bat in hand for England in the recently concluded World T20, he would add value to the top order of the defending champions.
Rohit Sharma: The moment he took over the captaincy from Ricky Ponting couple of seasons ago, Sharma has grown as a player and changed the fortunes for his side. Under his captaincy, MI have won the IPL twice. Although the 28-year-old has been short of runs recently, but it is only a matter of time before the right-hander finds his touch in the tournament.
Lendl Simmons: Simmons quietly fits in to the role of an opener in the star-studded Mumbai line-up, and given his form with the bat in the last two seasons, the West Indian would be eyeing to make every opportunity count in the IPL.
Rising Pune SuperGiants
MS Dhoni: This is self-explanatory. He is the best finisher of the game today. He captained CSK in all the eight seasons and won it twice. On numerous occasions,Dhoni had bailed his team out of trouble and the SuperGiants would be hoping that he does the same, playing for their team.
Steve Smith: Australian Captain Steve Smith is one of the best players of the game right now. He has played for Pune warriors in the past and will certainly play a crucial role for the SuperGiantsin their first season.
Kevin Pieterson: KP still remains one of the most destructive batsmen England had ever produced. He was in exceptional form in this year’s Big Bash smashing 74* in the final. He also is an excellent fielder and his form will have a huge say as to where the SuperGiants finish this season.
By Pranav Ahuja
