IPL 2018: Predicting the starting eleven of Mumbai Indians

The defending champions of the IPL, Mumbai Indians will once again go into the tournament as favourites, even though they did not have an auction to boast of. A lot of their buys were questioned, with their decision to completely shuffle their batting lineup being perhaps the biggest question mark.

The MI head-honchos have put immense faith once again in the two Pandya lads, retaining both the brothers for sky-rocketing amounts. Rohit Sharma will lead the side once again, with Indian international Jasprit Bumrah being the last retention.

Mumbai Indians have a team which does not look a tournament winning side on paper, but they can surely be dark horses for the title. We look at the best eleven the lads from Mumbai could take into the field.

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Opener #1: Evin Lewis

Mumbai Indians' replacement for their long-standing opener Lendl Simmons, is another dashing West Indian southpaw, Evin Lewis. One of the most sought after players in the auction, Evin Lewis could come up as a potential breakthrough of the season.

His explosive batting could make him a reincarnation of another left handed destructive batsman, Chris Gayle.

MI will be banking on Lewis to make merry in the Powerplay.

Opener #2: Ishan Kishan

Wankhede will be treated to some Kishan blitzkreig!

He is a million dollar accquistion made by the Mumbai Indians, who were pretty keen on getting a great batsman who could don the gloves behind the wickets as well. Ishan Kishan, the former U-19 captain, impressed the audiences with his performances in his debut IPL last year.

Mumbai's fragile looking batting lineup will need Ishan Kishan to make the most of this opportunity. Ishan Kishan lacks the experience but fulfills it with his immense talent with the willow, and playing under India's premier batsman in Rohit Sharma will help him gain much-needed confidence.

No.3: Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma loves to break the bowling unit day-in, day-out

Mumbai Indians' captain and one of the most successful cricketers in the Indian Premier League, Rohit Sharma will once again anchor the Mumbai Indians batting lineup. The whole batting of Mumbai will be once again be heavily dependent on Rohit's skill.

A limited-overs specialist, Rohit Sharma has come a long way from his inconsistent performances and has cemented his place in the Indian side. He led a weak Mumbai batting unit to a title victory last year, and the onus will be on him to perform once again.

No.4 Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav is returning home!

The former Mumbai Ranji captain, Suryakumar Yadav has grown to become an IPL specialist in recent years. Kolkata Knight Riders' middle order was anchored by Yadav for several editions of the premier T20 tournament.

KKR's loss will be MI's gain as they gain some decent firepower in their batting lineup, as Yadav's steady hand will give them someone to rely on, in case the top order falters.

Suryakumar Yadav will have some tough competition from Saurabh Tiwary and Aditya Tare for this spot, and he will have to prove his worth from the word go.

No.5: Jean Paul-Duminy

JPD is always an exciting player to watch

Duminy has played in several seasons of IPL now and has played a lot of international cricket in his career, but somehow has never been the prominent star of his team. He was Delhi Daredevils' mainstay for a long time and now has moved on to Mumbai Indians.

Duminy is an expert cricketer who knows how to anchor the innings and bring the runs for the team, but has been a tad inconsistent. He could however also provide some decent spin bowling options for Rohit Sharma in the middle overs.

No.6 Kieron Pollard

Pollad is a brute force of nature

Mumbai's very own destructive force of nature, Kieron Pollard is a man of extreme power. He can hit shots out of the park, bowl some really fine lengths towards the end and also field like a Superman.

Pollard has spent the last nine years with the Mumbai side and has won a lot of accolades. His performances have always made the Ambani clan a happy unit.

No.7 Hardik Pandya

Hardik and Krunal: Brothers in Destruction

India's No.1 all-rounder at the moment, Hardik Pandya was a wise retention by the Mumbai Indians' side. He started his career with the Mumbai side, and has gone on to represent India in all three formats in a very short period of time.

Hardik Pandya has batted further up the order for the Indian side, but his main strength lies in hitting some long shots towards the end of the innings. He has been a central figure in the Mumbai Indians side during their two championship reigns in just three seasons.

No.8 Krunal Pandya

Pandya will look to emulate his brilliant performances

The elder Pandya, and adjudged by many as the better one, Krunal is one of the most versatile cricketers in the side. He has performed excellently for the Mumbai-based side in the last two seasons, leading to a MoM award in the final last season.

He was subject of some intense bidding during the auction, but in the end Mumbai Indians laughed and snatched him away from their rivals. Krunal's stock has risen exponentially due to his performances, and expect him to make merry this season as well.

No.9: Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah will spearhead Mumbai Indians' attack!

Yet another player who climbed the ranks to become India's premier fast bowler, Bumrah too started his career at Wankhede. His unique arm-action and bowling technique has led to some deadly death-over spells, which led to his unsurprising retention by Mumbai Indians.

Bumrah will spearhead the attack once again, and MI will be hoping to get a repeat of his tremendous spells. He may well be a strong Purple Cap contender this season.

No.10: Rahul Chahar

The young leggie from Rajasthan will certainly trick the batsmen!

Rahul Chahar had a breakthrough season with RPS last season, and was part of the side that lost to Mumbai Indians in a heartbreaking finish in May last year. Rahul Chahar and his brother Deepak put in decent cameos throughout the tournament.

Rahul Chahar will have to fill the big boots left by Harbhajan Singh, a ten-year veteran of the Mumbai Indians. His leg-spin will be a delight to watch once again this season.

No.11: Pat Cummins

Expect some wickets to get rattled real bad!

Patrick Cummins was one of the best bowling sensations back in 2011, when he made a sensational debut for Australia in a mass destruction of South Africa. He has had outings with DD and KKR in previous seasons, but hasn't exactly lit up the IPL.

His explosive pace combined with Bumrah's ability to trick the batsmen will be a great combination for MI going into the season. He will be replacing the hugely successful Mitchell McClenaghan as well as Lasith Malinga, as Mumbai's go-to fast bowler.

What do you think of our predicted eleven? Sound off in the comments below!