Mumbai Indians were the most expensive side when IPL begun. The team had some of the most renowned cricketers in their kitty and was bought by one of the richest family of the world. Mumbai Indians however did not do well in the first season and finished fifth on the points table. Fellow Mumbaikars would have thought that it was just a onetime thing and their star line-up will do well in 2009. But, it didn’t happen as they finished 7th in the eight team contest. There had to be something wrong with the side as they had all the ingredients to be in the top if not the top team of the league.

It all changed in 2010 as they played to their potential and finished in top of the league table. They were very close to winning the title but lost a close match against Chennai Super Kings. Even in the last season they played well and reached the semis, but again failed to capitalize and this time they lost to Bangalore.

Going into this season, MI once again is looking very strong and will be hoping to take that one final step that will take them to that reputed title. Mumbai Indians won the Champions League last year and would be hoping to replicate that performance here. The side which have one of the best bowling attack and an explosive batting line-up will be up-beat about their chances. They have been nominated as the title contenders in every season, but the question that remains is that will they be able to take that last leap?

Batting

International Players: Australian batsman Aiden Blizzard will open the innings for the Mumbai side. Blizzard as his name suggests is an explosive batsman at the top of the innings. The elegant left-hander can really take the advantage in the first six overs and will be an able partner to the ‘master’. Mumbai also have some Calypso magic in their team. Kieron Pollard will once again be a vital cog in Mumbai’s middle order. He can play some devastating shots and even his miss-hits can clear the boundary. He is coming on the back of some brilliant performance against the Australians and will be a force; he is electric on the field and can make some very good ground. James Franklin played some crucial knock in the Champions League. This Kiwi all-rounder can take the attack to the bowlers and is very handy with the ball as well. Mumbai Indians have also roped in two South African’s this time, the experienced Herschelle Gibbs and the explosive young batsman Richard Levi. Both the batsmen are explosive and are dynamic on the field.

Domestic Players: Sachin Tendulkar will open the innings for his home side. He is capable of anything and does not need any introduction, so let’s move on to other batsmen. MI has one of the most exciting new talents in the form of Rohit Sharma. IPL is his home. He is one of the best batsmen in this competition and can win matches on his own. IPL is his forte and he always looks in-form coming to this tournament. Till the time he is on the crease, anything is possible. Dinesh Karthik is the wicket-keeper batsman for MI. He is also very effective and consistent batsman in this format. Karthik may not be getting much chance in the Indian team because of Dhoni, but coming to IPL, he is one keeper who can get selected in any side. He has the ability to get selected only on his batting capabilities and this MI side will be banking heavily on him. Ambati Rayudu played a pivotal role in Mumbai reaching the finals in 2010. He has been a consistent run-getter from the moment he joined MI and he will look to continue that.    

Bowling

International Players: Undoubtedly the best T-20 bowler will take the new ball for Mumbai Indians. Lasith Malinga is the best bowler in the shortest format in the world and he single-handedly won Mumbai the Champions League. His economy rate is very good in this completion and he was the winner of the purple cap last season. Malinga is deadly with his in-swinging Yorkers which he can ball regularly and is very hard to hit at any stage of the match. MI signed Mitchell Johnson in this years’ auction. Johnson lost his place in the Australian side and will be looking to prove his worth through IPL. Johnson can ball really quickly and can play some good innings with the bat as well.

Domestic Players: Mumbai Indian captain Harbhajan Singh may have lost his place in the Indian side but he remains one of the most competitive bowlers in India. Harbhajan loves a challenge and will be looking to take this challenge of captaincy head-on. He has been one of the most effective off-spinner for India and is very good in this format. He can ball in field restriction as well as in the death overs. Ojha is one of the leading wicket takers in this tournament and played a vital role in Deccan winning the competition in the second edition. He can turn the ball at will and can fox the batsmen with his flight.

MI also has two medium fast bowlers who have played for India, Munaf Patel and RP Singh. Both these players lost their place because of injury issues and will be raring to announce themselves again. Both Munaf and RP have done well in IPL and will be looking to replicate their performance. To support these fast bowlers MI also have Dhawal Kulkarni and Abu Nechim who can be effective if given a chance to play.

Players to watch out from Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar, Lasith Malinga, Rohit Sharma

Mumbai Indians complete squad: Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Rohit Sharma, Munaf Patel, Rudra Pratap Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Pragyan Ojha, Ambati Rayudu, Dhawal Kulkarni, Abu Nechim, Aditya Tare, Pawan Suyal, Tirumalasetti Suman, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sushant Marathe, Sujit Nayak, Yuzvendra Chahal, Apoorv Wankhade, Kuldeep Yadav, Rahul Shukla, Amitoze Singh, Jaydev Shah, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Aiden Blizzard, David Jacobs, James Franklin, Clinton Mckay, Robin Peterson, Herschelle Gibbs, Thisara Perera, Mitchell Johnson, Richard Levi

By Gaurav Jha

Indian Sports News