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The Mumbai Indians (MI) will go into the IPL 2024 season as one of the strongest squads on paper and one of the genuine contenders to win the title. Over the years, MI have been known to unearth hidden gems and have also produced some absolute superstars for India.
However, they have also had some star players like Kieron Pollard & Lastih Malinga, who played pivotal roles in their triumphs. With the two overseas legends now a part of the backroom staff, Mumbai have a set of other star players who will form the team's engine room.
No matter how strong a team is on paper, whether it wins the tournament or not depends on their on-field performances and on how their players gel together. On that note, let's take a look at five players whose form could have a huge bearing on whether the Mumbai Indians lift a record sixth IPL title in 2024:
#5 Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan hasn't played competitive cricket since the T20I series against Australia late last year. He asked for a break, citing mental fatigue, and didn't return to the Indian set-up after that.
The southpaw had a sensational second half of IPL 2023, ending up with a staggering 454 runs for the season at a strike rate of 142.77. Given how crucial he is for the balance of the team as well as being the wicketkeeper, Ishan will be vital to get Mumbai Indians off to rollicking starts. It would also help his opening partner Rohit Sharma play himself in.
#4 Hardik Pandya
There has been a lot of talk about how Hardik Pandya would manage the big names in the MI dressing room, especially after having returned to the franchise after two seasons. Many even sense there may be ego clashes, given the circumstances in which Hardik took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma.
However, Hardik is undoubtedly one of the best seam-bowling all-rounders in white-ball cricket and there are no two ways about the incredible balance that he brings to the Mumbai Indians line-up. He recently hinted that he would return to the finishing role and could form a crucial partnership with Tim David down the order.
Hardik Pandya would also relish the opportunity to use the new ball on the Wankhede pitch and could certainly be a match-winner for MI across multiple departments.
#3 Suryakumar Yadav
One of the best T20 batters in the world, Suryakumar Yadav had his most prolific IPL season last year. In 16 matches, SKY scored 605 runs at a mind-boggling strike rate of 181.14 with five fifties and a hundred to his name. However, he may not be available for the first few games of IPL 2024.
Suryakumar has been recovering from a sports hernia and it will be interesting to see if he can hit the ground running whenever he is back for the Mumbai Indians. The fulcrum of MI's middle order, SKY will once again need to be instrumental if Mumbai wish to go beyond the Qualifier 1 stage that they managed last season.
#2 Rohit Sharma
The Mumbai Indians fans will need to get used to the fact that Rohit Sharma will not lead their team anymore. In 11 seasons as captain, Rohit built his legacy as amongst the greatest tacticians the league has seen and also won five titles as captain.
While the transition may have left a sour taste for many MI fans, it could be the season where Rohit finally does justice to his ability in terms of volume of runs. He has scored more than 500 runs just once in his entire IPL career, that too in the 2023 edition. It would be perfect for Mumbai if Rohit could carry on with his counter-attacking style of batting at the top of the order and rediscover his mojo.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah
Arguably the most influential player in the Mumbai Indians' charge to the IPL 2024 title is fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Due to a long injury layoff, Bumrah missed out on the IPL 2023 season. In the season before that, the star speedster didn't have enough support from the other end as Mumbai finished rock bottom.
However, this time around, Jasprit Bumrah has been in terrific form in the lead-up to the season and also has some quality bowling options for company. Mumbai will hope that he can replicate his international form in the IPL.
