IPL 2019: 6 reasons why the Mumbai Indians squad looks formidable

Mumbai Indians has won the IPL thrice

Mumbai Indians is one of the most consistent teams along with the Chennai Super Kings. They both share the record of most IPL trophies (three times each). Mumbai Indians have won thrice in the past six editions. In this edition also they are one of the strong contenders to run away with the championship.

Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, the team management has formed a core group of five to six players around whom the squad is built. Here we take a look at why they have a formidable squad and has all that’s required to be IPL champions for the fourth time. The Mumbai Indians captain Rohit's form would be really helpful for the former champions to chase one more title. The present squad has covered almost all the bases and now it's all about finding the right combination for each match.

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#6 Formidable opening pair and a backup opener

Ever since Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013, Mumbai team has tried various opening combinations and few have been successful as well. Lendl Simmons and ParthPateltel played a major role in their successful campaign in 2015 as well as 2017.

In 2018 they found a new opening pair in Suryakumar Yadav and the explosive West Indian batsman Evin Lewis. The former ended up with 512 runs while the latter score 382 runs in the last season.

This year also this pair is expected to do well together. With Evin Lewis who can be explosive in power plays, Surya Kumar Yadav will be able to play the anchor role so that the strong middle order can capitalize on the basement provided by these two batsmen. They also have Quiton de Kock as a backup opener provided if one of these two batsmen runs out of form.

#5 Four-men foreign pace attack

The Pace factory of Mumbai Indians

Mitchell McClenaghan has been a key player for Mumbai since 2015. He played a major role in their title wins in both 2015 and 2017. He has been the strike wicket taking bowler for them.

This year, along with him Adam Milne and Jason Behrendorff have been added to the pace attack. Though all three would not be able to play together, they can be rotated and used based on conditions on offer on a particular day.

On any given day, these bowlers are perfectly capable of running to the opponents’ batting lineup with the new ball in hand. Their bowling and wicket-taking ability in the power play with the new ball will play a major role in the success of this team.

With Ben Cutting who can be a useful third or fourth seamer, Rohit Sharma has a happy selection headache of selecting a couple of them from these players. And their performance put together will be a key strength for Mumbai Indians fortunes.

#4 Combinations of all-rounders

Kieron Pollard has been one of the stalwarts for Mumbai Indians since 2010. Since then he has been retained by them year on year and in the past edition, they took him again in the right to match option.

He has been such an important match winner for the franchise. He was the Man of the Match in 2013 IPL final and has brought them back from worse situations in so many more matches. Though he is not in as good form as he would have liked, he is someone who can come to the party on any given day.

Along with him, the Pandya brothers have grown into a different league in the past few years. They both are going to be the future icons of this franchise. These three have won numerous matches for the team both with the bat and ball. Last year Ben Cutting was added to the squad, the big-hitting all-rounder had few performances here and there in patches.

This year Yuvraj Singh has been added to the squad as well. His abilities and what he can bring to the table is of no question. The question is though with the pool of 5 all-rounders in the squad, how many can Rohit afford to play in his team and with both Pollard and Yuvraj not at their prime how he will use them will be interesting to see. Over all, as a package, they have a very formidable pool of all-rounder’s to pick from.

#3 The young sensations

Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan and Mayank Markande are the new kids in the franchise and they are being nurtured by the group of experienced players and the big support staff the franchise has. They are the next generation players and they have no fear in taking on the opposition. Their audacity is natural and it brings so much flair to the team.

They have matured really with the IPL experience. The young lads can take away the game from the opposition in a couple of overs both with the bat and ball. Markande has been added to India's squad for the T20 series against Australia. It will be huge moral booster for him ahead of the IPL.

With the right mix of experienced and young players, the Mumbai Indians squad looks to be a formidable one. If they can find the right balance in the playing eleven, they can be formidable contenders for the title this year.

#2 Death bowling specialists

Mumbai Indians have got two best death bowlers

Mumbai Indians probably has one of the best, if not the best death bowling duo in the world. Lasith Malinga is an IPL legend and has been associated with the franchise since the beginning. He has taken 154 wickets in 110 IPL matches which is the highest of all. He has been the leading wicket-taker of the league. His death bowling prowess is matched by none and he has won matches for the franchise on an innumerable number of occasions.

Under his guidance quietly a young kid blossomed with an unorthodox action a few years ago. Jasprit Bumrah has grown leaps and bounds over the past few years and he is the number one bowler in the world now. He has taken 63 wickets in 61 matches so far in IPL. He has been the go-to bowler for the captain irrespective of the format and team he plays for.

Though Malinga is not at his peak as he used to, one can never write him off. Together Malinga and Bumrah are going to be a very big challenge for the opponents, especially in the last four overs.

#1 Mix of experience and youth in the squad

Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah

In this edition of IPL Mumbai has a near perfect mix of experienced and young players. They have experienced players like Rohit, Yuvraj and Malinga who have been part of the tournament since it began.

Pollard came along a couple of years later and they have stayed with him for almost a decade now. That is how much these players have contributed to their teams. For every situation, they know how to react and can play them accordingly without losing nerves.

They also have Bumrah, Hardik and Krunal Pandya moving up the ranks in the past few years. Bumrah is the world number one bowler right now. Krunal was the man of the match in 2017 IPL final. They have grown immensely in the last few years with international exposure and India A tours they have developed themselves to be the key players at any given situation.

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