IPL History: 3 best foreign bowlers who have represented Mumbai Indians (MI)

The Mumbai Indians are one of the most successful IPL teams and have won the title thrice in 11 years.

After a rather disastrous first couple of seasons, Mumbai made it to the final in 2010 and continued their great run of qualifying for the playoffs till 2015, winning the title twice in that period, in 2013 and 2015. They again defeated RPSG in the 2017 final but narrowly missed out on a playoff berth last season.

To maintain such a record in the competition, they obviously had to have had some standout performers and though their Indian core is one of the best in the league, they have also had many good foreign players in their team who have delivered whenever needed.

So without further ado, let's take a look at the 3 best foreign bowlers for the Mumbai Indians in the history of the IPL.

Honorable Mentions:

Kieron Pollard - The Caribbean is the 3rd highest overseas wicket-taker for Mumbai but since he's an all-rounder he has been excluded from the list.

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#3 Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell Johnson played for the Mumbai Indians from 2013 to 2017 but featured in only 22 matches and was used more as a backup. He was very consistent whenever he got his opportunity, though, and picked up 31 wickets in his stint with MI.

His most famous contribution was bowling the last over of the IPL 2017 final, successfully restricting the Pune side to 9 runs off 6 balls and picking up 2 wickets to lead his side to a miraculous victory.

His brilliant bowling average of 19.35 and economy rate of just 7.14 illustrate how effective he was and poses the question of why he wasn't used more often. Johnson played for KKR in IPL 2018 but won't feature in IPL 2019.

#2 Mitchell McClenaghan

Mitchell McClenaghan

Mitchell McClenaghan is one of the most underrated players in the Mumbai Indians squad and in the IPL on the whole despite being the 3rd highest wicket-taker for the team.

McClenaghan always provided the extra pace and bounce for Mumbai whenever he played and managed to get early wickets. The Kiwi wasn't in Mumbai's initial squad last season but was roped in as a replacement for the injured Pat Cummins. However, he proved his worth once again by picking up 14 wickets.

He was instrumental in Mumbai's success in IPL 2015, filling in for Corey Anderson. McClenaghan has picked up a total of 68 wickets and has a good bowling average of 24.42 and a decent economy rate as well.

McClenaghan is out of the reckoning for a berth in his national side and is expected to play a key role this season for Mumbai.

#1 Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga

If you ask anyone who the best IPL bowler of all-time is, the answer will undoubtedly be Lasith Malinga. One of the most popular players, Malinga often made headlines with his deadly pace, accurate yorkers and slingy action which was his trademark.

The reason Mumbai have succeeded is that they have always had a match-winner they could rely on, with Malinga capable of turning any game on its head with his bowling. In the 2013 IPL final, he swung the match in Mumbai's favor by picking up 3 early wickets to rattle the CSK chase.

Malinga has picked up 154 wickets in 110 matches at a great average of 19.01 and an economy of just 6.86 which is staggering especially for a pace bowler. Malinga was MI's mentor last season but just when we thought that he was done as a player, he made a strong international comeback and was bought by Mumbai again at his base price of 2 Crores.