Mumbai Indians Team Preview IPL 2024: Mumbai Indians are entering a new era. Their previous era, that last 10 years, was defined by the captaincy of Rohit Sharma who after taking charge of the team in 2013 when he was still in his mid-20s, oversaw five title wins making them the most successful team in the league’s history before Chennai Super Kings drew level last year.
This season MI will start the season under a new captain for the first time in a decade. Hardik Pandya, whose career took off after joining MI, is back after spending two highly successful season of his own at Gujarat Titans. Thanks to what he did as captain for GT, a title and runners-up finish in successive seasons, Pandya has handed captaincy of MI.
Since winning their last IPL title in 2020, MI have managed to reach the playoffs once out of the last three seasons. The 2022 season was their worst in history as they finished last in the 10-team competition for the first time.
Also Read: Players Bought by MI at IPL 2024 Auction
With Pandya at the helm, MI are hoping that the maverick allrounder will elevate them back to where they belong: at the top.
MI have assembled quite a squad brimming with world-class T20 stars. Among them, the availability of Jasprit Bumrah is perhaps the biggest plus considering the quality he brings with the new ball and the old ball. Last season, Bumrah missed the entire season due to injury and still MI managed to make their way into the playoffs.
To add to that, they have added South Africa pacer Gerald Coetzee also known for his ability to play big hits lower down the order. Australian Jason Behrendorff was their joint second-highest leading wicket-taker of IPL 2024 and will play a key role in their pace attack along with Bumrah, Coetzee, Pandya, Akash Madhwal. They have strengthened their spin attack with the addition of Afghanistan allrounder Mohamamad Nabi and Karnataka allrounder Shreyas Gopal with the duo expected to team up with the evergreen Piyush Chawla who was MI’s leading wicket-taker of last season.
MI boast of a power-packed batting line-up headlined by Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav, Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Tim David and Tilak Verma. What role Pandya plays in this set-up will be interesting considering he batted at no. 4 for GT when for MI he was the designated finisher.
How They Fared Last Time
IPL 2023 was a massive improvement considering the historic low of 2022. They won eight of their 14 matches while losing six to finish fourth on the table and qualified for the playoffs.
MI were peaking at the right time as the massive 81-run demolition of Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator suggested. However, the joy was short-lived as they lost to GT in the second qualifier by 62 runs.
Top Player(s) to Watch Out For
Ishan Kishan: The wicketkeeper-batters has been in the headlines despite not having played any international cricket since November 2023. Having not given an annual contract by the BCCI, Ishan has a point or two to prove. He will be a key part of MI’s plans and with the T20 World Cup starting right after IPL, there isn’t a better way to stake a claim than having a productive season. Ishan scored 454 runs last year, the second-most for MI.
Akash Madhwal: The Uttarakhand pacer turned heads in IPL 2023 in what was his maiden season. In just eight matches, the right-arm pacer finished with 14 wickets. He bowled a stunning spell during the Eliminator against LSG as he finished with a five-wicket haul in 3.3 overs. Having started well, will Madhwal deliver on his promise again?
Gerald Coetzee: Coetzee made his international debut for South Africa across formats last year. He was South Africa’s star performer at the ODI World Cup in India, finishing with 20 wickets – the most by any South African in a single edition of the competition. His ability to bowl in the 140kphs and consistently trouble batters with short deliveries made him quite an attraction at the IPL auction. And MI secured his services for a cool Rs 5 crore.
Strongest Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Madhwal
Full Squad: Rohit Sharma, Tim David*, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis*, Ishan Kishan, Vishnu Vinod, Hardik Pandya, Romario Shepherd*, Nehal Wadhera, Gerald Coetzee*, Mohammad Nabi*, Jasprit Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff*, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Piyush Chawla, Dilshan Madushanka*, Nuwan Thushara*, Anshul Kamboj, Shreyas Gopal, Shams Mulani, Naman Dhir, Shivalik Sharma.
*Overseas players
Mumbai Indians Schedule
March 24: vs Gujarat Titans (Ahmedabad), 7:30 PM IST
March 27: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (Hyderabad), 7:30 PM IST
April 1: vs Rajasthan Royals (Mumbai), 7:30 PM IST
April 7: vs Delhi Capitals (Mumbai), 3:30 PM IST