IPL: 5 talents unearthed by Mumbai Indians

Apart from the glitz and entertainment that it provides the Indian fans across the summer, the IPL serves as an ideal platform for budding Indian talent to rub shoulders with the best in the cricketing world.

An IPL stint gives a young Indian cricketer, one who is looking to set his feet in the cricketing arena, the golden opportunity of interacting with and learning from international stars and at the same time be guided by experts of the sport.

Such has been the influence of the IPL that it has proven to be a path to glory for several Indian players, many of whom got their first chance to showcase their talent through the league.

Mumbai Indians, in particular, have been successful in scouting cricketing talent, most of whom have helped them win matches and in turn made them the most successful team of the decade gone by.

This article talks about 5 such talents who have represented India or, in the near future, might go on to represent India at the international level.

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Jasprit Bumrah

Perhaps India's biggest gain in the recent years as far as the IPL is concerned, Jasprit Bumrah was handed a contract by Mumbai in 2013 before he turned 20 and while he was yet to play a first-class match.

Impressing everyone in his debut performance with 3-32 against RCB that included his maiden wicket of Virat Kohli, Bumrah's slingy action grabbed eyeballs. With time and under the guidance of Lasith Malinga, Bumrah developed the skill of effectively bowling yorkers which, with his action, became difficult for batsmen to play.

Making it to the national squad at the back of solid IPL performances, the Gujarat pacer has matured into the leader of the attack very early in his career as he has become the mainstay of the Indian bowling attack in the limited overs versions of the game.

His 64 scalps in 37 ODIs and 41 in 34 T20Is at an excellent economy rate are a testimony to the value he brings to the team. Not just this, with a successful tour to South Africa in the whites, Bumrah has cemented his place in the longest format as well and will play an integral role in the upcoming series in England.

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Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya is seen as one who can fulfil India's need for a seam-bowling all-rounder

Hardik Pandya was picked up by Mumbai for the 2015 edition of IPL where he showed the kind of spark that invoked the great Sachin Tendulkar to call him up and tell him that he would be playing for India within the next 18 months.

A lower middle order batsman who is capable of hitting the ball a long distance and a handy medium pace bowler to go along with athleticism in the field, Hardik had all the components that the Indian team had long been striving for in the form of a seam bowling all rounder.

And thus he made his T20I debut in January 2016 and represented India in the Asia Cup and ICC WT20 with decent success. He also made his ODI debut that year and became only the fourth Indian to be awarded Man of the Match on ODI debut.

With India preparing for consecutive overseas tours, the seam bowling all rounder was drafted into the Test squad by Virat Kohli and has shown signs of fulfilling the role of a genuine all-rounder that India desperately requires.

Ambati Rayudu

Rayudu won Mumbai many a match from tough situations

Ambati Rayudu was not a new name in the Indian cricketing circles when he shone at the IPL for Mumbai Indians. After successfully starting off his career in junior cricket, Rayudu led India at the 2004 U-19 World Cup.

A drop in form led to him switching Ranji teams; in a bid to play against world class opponents and in front of packed crowds led him to join the rebel Indian Cricket League in 2007. After being granted amnesty by the BCCI in 2009 he made a comeback to the domestic circuit and won an IPL contract with Mumbai.

He came good in 2010 when he scored 355 runs at a strike rate of 144.71 and helped Mumbai reach the finals. He followed it up with a 395 runs season in 2011 and 333 runs in 2012. He proved to be a vital cog in their middle order and won them a few matches single-handedly.

His stellar IPL run was awarded by his selection to the national squad in 2013. In the 34 ODIs that he represented India in the period 2013-2016, he scored 1055 runs at an average of 50.23. In fact, his modest scoring rate of 76.28 can be cited as the only reason for his exclusion by the national selectors.

Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya is the most expensive uncapped player in the IPL

Younger brother Hardik was not the only beneficiary of the IPL as Mumbai Indians also discovered the talent of elder brother Krunal Pandya. Krunal, an all-rounder like Hardik, bowls slow left-arm orthodox and is more than a useful batsman in the middle order.

Bought by MI in 2016 after successful performances for Baroda, Krunal totally justified the faith imposed on him by the franchise as he came good at crucial junctures. In the 33 IPL appearances he has made for Mumbai, Krunal has scored 616 runs at an average of 32.42 and a stellar strike rate of 153.23.

He has also been effective with the ball as he has picked 24 wickets at a more than an acceptable economy rate of 7.12.

With four Man of the Match awards in his kitty, the most important one coming in the final of 2017, elder Pandya is a proven match winner in the shortest format and it won't come as a surprise if he makes it to the national team alongside Hardik on the back of consistent performances in the marquee league.

Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana could have solved Mumbai's middle order batting woes

Left-handed Delhi batsman Nitish Rana is a stylish player who has been performing consistently for KKR this season and proven to be their mainstay in the middle order. His fluency and ability to anchor the innings in the middle provides them with the flexibility to launch a batting attack.

But KKR is not the team which identified the Delhi dasher's batting talent. Mumbai Indians, whom he represented across 17 matches in 2016-17, is the team that shall be credited for scouting the batsman who was a prolific run scorer in the domestic arena.

Playing for Mumbai, Rana scored 437 runs at an average of 31.21 and a strike rate of 128.90, also winning a couple of Man of the Match awards in the process. It will not be wrong to say that Mumbai have made a blunder by letting him go this season as they have miserably failed to find someone to hold their batting and play a pivotal role in the middle order.

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