Five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will be hoping to live up to their status as favourites in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) with the sensational return of Hardik Pandya. All-rounder Hardik has been appointed by Mumbai Indians to lead the franchise after two impressive seasons with Gujarat Titans (GT). He replaces Rohit Sharma as MI captain, having signed for Gujarat Titans.
Mumbai enters the Hardik era
Mumbai's decision to replace Rohit with Hardik as captain raised some concerns before the new season. Rohit, India's captain across all formats, has led the Mumbai Paltan to all five IPL titles. However, Mumbai was eager to make Pandya the new captain after signing a lucrative deal before the new season. According to Mahela Jayawardene, the change in leadership is part of the team's legacy building and commitment to the MI philosophy of being future-ready.
Will the IPL in 2024 see the return of the Hitman?
The 2024 edition of the IPL will see Rohit return as a pure batter. Under his leadership, MI won 87 matches and lost 67. Since 2019, Rohit's batting average has dipped. The 36-year-old has scored 1718 runs in 70 games, with only eight half-centuries and an average of 24.89. Rohit captained MI in 158 games, leading them to five IPL titles. With Hardik as the captain, senior batter Rohit will lead MI's formidable batting lineup, which includes superstars Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, and captain Hardik. The veteran opener Rohit is heading to IPL 2024 after a run-fest series against England.
Who will be in charge of MI's spin attack?
Mumbai Indians may face a significant challenge with their spin-bowling in the upcoming cash-rich league. Do they possess a high-quality spin-bowling attack this season? The team has acquired a dependable spin-bowling all-rounder in the form of Shreyas Gopal, who was signed by MI at his base price of INR 20 lakh. Additionally, the joint-record-time winners have veteran Piyush Chawla, who was Mumbai's leading wicket-taker last season, having picked up 22 wickets in 16 games.
Management by Bumrah
Chawla was followed by Akash Madhwal, who replaced Jasprit Bumrah in IPL 2023. Madhwal grabbed headlines with five wickets against Lucknow Super Giants. Recently, India chose to rest Bumrah in the 4th Test against England in Ranchi. Can Bumrah help Mumbai in successive matches this season? Considering Bumrah's workload during IPL 2024, MI could also use Madhwal to support Hardik, Gerald Coetzee, and Jason Behrendorff in the pace lineup. Mumbai also acquired Dilshan Madushanka for INR 4.60 crore to strengthen their bowling attack.
Mumbai Indians' IPL 2024 squad:
Wicketkeepers: Ishan Kishan, Vishnu Vinod.
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Tim David (AUS), Suryakumar Yadav, N. Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis (SA).
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Romario Shepherd (WI), Nehal Wadhera, Shams Mulani, Gerald Coetzee (SA), Mohammad Nabi (AFG), Shivalik Sharma, Naman Dhir.
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff (AUS), Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Piyush Chawla, Dilshan Madushanka (SL), Nuwan Thushara (SL), Anshul Kamboj, Shreyas Gopal.