Mumbai Indians (MI) always have a clear vision going into the IPL auction, and they nail it almost every time.
Mumbai Indians (MI) always have a clear vision going into the IPL auction, and they nail it almost every time. The five-time champions had already traded Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans (GT) and needed quality pacers and spinners to plug the holes. They have rightly filled the overseas pacer slots by buying Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka and Nuwan Thushara, and the domestic pacer slot with the acquisition of Anshul Kamboj.
To strengthen the spin department, Mumbai Indians roped in the all-rounders Mohammad Nabi and Naman Dhir. They also have Shreyas Gopal, a backup for Piyush Chawla. MI could have gone after better options in the spin department, preferably an overseas wrist spinner instead of Mohammad Nabi.
Wanindu Hasaranga went for a base price, and Adil Rashid was unsold, providing MI with a perfect chance to bolster the spin attack without spending too much. But it’s been their longstanding strategy, as they spend minimally in this area and settle with makeshift options every time. Apart from that, these are the best picks with the limited budget MI could get, and they would be really pleased with their overall auction performance.
MI squad for IPL 2024: Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), N. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod (wk), Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Romario Shepherd, Hardik Pandya (c), Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma.
Rohit Sharma
Ishan Kishan (wk)
Suryakumar Yadav
Tilak Varma
Hardik Pandya (c)
Nehal Wadhera
Tim David*
Romario Shepherd*
Gerald Coetzee*
Piyush Chawla
Jasprit Bumrah
Dilshan Madushanka* (IMP)
Wicketkeeper: Mumbai Indians have two primary options in the wicketkeeper section – Ishan Kishan and Vishnu Vinod. Kishan will start initially and open the innings with Rohit Sharma. Kishan is an opener naturally and provides different dimensions due to being an LHB.
If he plays, Vishnu Vinod will be better suited in the middle-order, somewhere at No.4 or 5. He is also a pace-hitter and can play ahead of Nehal Wadhera if MI want an additional pace-basher in the middle. If Kishan is injured, Mumbai Indians can open with Nehal and slot Vishnu after Hardik Pandya, as they did in a few games last season.
Overseas Players: Mumbai Indians will have an all-Indian top and middle order, freeing up the slots in the lower order and bowlers section for the overseas players. MI might start with only three overseas players, with the fourth one coming as an impact player. The four overseas players are likely to be Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Gerald Coetzee and one of Jason Behrendorff or Dilshan Madushanka.
Also Read: RCB Playing XI for IPL 2024: Captain, wicket-keeper, overseas players, Impact Players and More
Tim David will have an arduous job of finishing the innings and has been inconsistent in the league. His obvious weaknesses against fast spinners mean David can’t be shifted up in the order, either. It also increases the value of Nehal Wadhera at No.6 because he will shield Tim David and also cover up for Hardik Pandya, who has been stuck against the slow bowlers lately, with his superior spin attack.
Romario Shepherd might take the second overseas slot and bat right below Tim David. His hitting abilities have improved massively, as visible by his strike rate, which has risen to 168.18 this year from 126.24 in 2022. Shepherd is also incompetent against spin like Tim David, and the teams might exploit it.
Shepherd’s bowling has also seen a steep rise, as his heavy balls have been on the right areas and should be an area he should keep working on rather than trying excessive yorkers. Even his cutters might be lethal if bowled into the pitch. He has that wicket-taking knack, which might be handy.
Gerald Coetzee will be the lead overseas pacer and will enjoy bowling in Wankhede. He has the pace to be an enforcer in the middle overs, and with two bouncers allowed, Coetzee will be even more threatening. His ball skids off the deck, making him an ideal candidate for the middle overs for Mumbai Indians.
Coetzee can also bowl with the new ball and cause severe damage under the lights. He will move the ball and trouble the batters early on. His new-ball spell will also allow MI to use more overs of Jasprit Bumrah in the middle overs rather than during the field restrictions.
The fourth foreign player will be one of Dilshan Madushanka and Jason Behrendorff. Both have massive new-ball value and will enjoy bowling in Mumbai, for there is always something for the pacers early on here. Behrendorff has done well previously, while Madushanka was impressive throughout the World Cup.
Behrendorff is slightly better than Madushanka in the other phases and has more experience in the league. But the Lankan pacer is ever-improving and did well in patches in the death-over phase. It’s likely MI will start with Behrendorff, but Madushanka won’t be far from making it, either.
Dewald Brevis will act as a backup and come if one of the top four is injured. While he is a talented player, Brevis can best utilised in the top order. On full strength, MI have no space at the top, and they can not afford to waste an overseas spot for a misfit batter over quality domestic proven ones.
Mohammad Nabi will play in place of Romario Shepherd if the track has more assistance for spin. However, Nabi’s hitting abilities are on the wane, and his bowling is unbecoming at this level now. He is a big no in the home games in IPL 2024.
Nuwan Thushara is currently at his best version, for he can move the ball excessively and has reasonable accuracy despite that slingy action. Under Lasith Malinga, Thushara will only improve, and MI will see him as a long-term project. He will play if one of Bumrah or Coetzee is unavailable.
Is there any chance we can get #NuwanThushara in KKR squad 💜💛
He’s far better than the baby malinga https://t.co/2Ovwl7PzJv pic.twitter.com/CzYYVrJzyg— UdaySSMB (@udayssmbmaalu) December 8, 2023
Impact Players: As mentioned above, MI will use one of Jason Behrendorff or Dilshan Madushanka as an impact player. If MI prefer Dewald Brevis over an overseas pacer, Akash Madhwal will act as an impact player. Akash bowled well in all the phases last season, and his overs will split again.
He can bowl one in the first six and middle overs each while bowling two in the slog overs. Akash is a death-over specialist. While his presence bolsters attack in the other two phases, MI will miss out on genuine powerplay wicket-takers in Jason Behrendorff or Dilshan Madushanka.
Further, Jasprit Bumrah can do Akash’s role more precisely, allowing MI to go with powerplay specialists. Hence, MI are unlikely to play Brevis and use Akash Madhwal as an impact player unless Bumrah is injured. If the team want to strengthen the bowling unit, they can play Akash over Romario Shepherd.
The former provides better value with the ball, and MI already have a lengthy batting unit, with Piyush Chawla batting at No.8. If the track assists the spinners, Kumar Kartikeya is another option to include. Kartikeya has a plethora of variations and can agitate the batters in helpful conditions.
Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2024 squad: Covered bases and eyeing redemption.#MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/b1rCwT7sMe
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) December 19, 2023
Hits:
Mumbai Indians have the best and most versatile batting lineup in the competition.
MI have a nice blend of LHB-RHB and pace-spin hitters throughout the batting order.
Several teams have batting depth, but MI have the highest quality of depth, with most of them being runaway match-winners.
MI have a backup for almost every regular starter, including the overseas players.
MI have among the most fiery, all-phase and conditions-suited pace attacks.
Misses:
Mumbai Indians might be worried about the form of Rohit Sharma, who has been mediocre in the tournament.
Hardik Pandya is injury-prone and hasn’t played competitive cricket since the mid-World Cup.
While Mumbai Indians have quality and variety in the pace attack, their spin attack looks toothless and variety-less. As mentioned above, they botched up a few quality options in the auction.
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