Forgetting what happened last year, Mumbai Indians will step into the Indian Premier League arena keeping their rich legacy in mind. Being tied with Chennai Super Kings with record five titles, the side will aim to add another feather to its illustrious cap. Last year saw MI finishing at the bottom spot in the ten-team table. The side will aim to put a much better show this time. Before the five-time champions start their IPL 2025 campaign, let’s have an in-depth look at their new squad –
Strength: Mumbai Indians boast of a powerful batting line-up. It is among the few sides whose top and middle-order is almost completely filled with international stars. The side already had T20I specialist Suryakumar Yadav, besides having attacking players like Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma in the top-order. Now add Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks to it, and MI’s batting line-up looks much more formidable. One must not forget Hardik Pandya down the order.
Weakness: Spin is an area of concern for Mumbai Indians. The side has Mitchell Santner but there is no other convincing spinner in the squad. While Karn Sharma is definitely not at his best, the same could be said about mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman as well. The Afghanistan star has come in as a replacement for Allah Ghazanfar. In spin, it seems there is no plan B for MI.
Opportunities: MI have only one Indian wicketkeeper batter in Robin Minz. The player thus might be getting multiple chances and if this happens, it will be a great opportunity for the ‘Chris Gayle of Jharkhand’ to shine at a bigger stage.
MI are in search of Rohit Sharma’s batting partner in opening the innings and Will Jacks seems to be the most able candidate in the squad. It will be a good chance for the star England batter to cement his place as an MI opener with an impressive performance.
Threats: With Jasprit Bumrah already battling an injury, MI’s bowling might be a little bit weak. His worth in death overs is simply unmatched and if he fails to play the entire season, MI could be in trouble.
Another concern for the side would be in the spin department. Santner will be MI’s first pick, but if he fails to deliver, the team will not be left with much choice.
While the squad is new and formidable, MI would still be looking for cohesion in the team, something they missed last year. Hardik Pandya took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma and MI had their joint-worst finish in IPL points table. His captaincy will surely be under scrunity and the management might even think beyond him if MI faulter again.
Mumbai Indians’ Strongest XI: Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (Captain), Robin Minz, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Players: Karn Sharma, Ryan Rickelton
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