Picking the combined MI and GT 11 for IPL 2023

Mumbai Indians are the most successful IPL franchise, with five titles to their name. Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, won the IPL in their first season in the lucrative tournament last year.

They are led by Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, respectively. Hardik has been one of the most crucial members of Mumbai's success over the years, and he has always talked about the role MI has played in shaping his individual career.

On that note, let’s take a look at the combined MI and GT playing 11 for IPL 2023.

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Openers: Rohit Sharma (C) & Ishan Kishan (wk)

Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan would be best suited to open the innings, even in a combined XI with Gujarat Titans. Although Gill had an impressive season last year, the inclusion of Kishan gives the team a left-right combination at the top of the order.

Rohit batted with intent for India throughout the year, barring the World Cup. A dynamic middle order will allow him to play his natural game as an opener in this playing 11. Although his IPL numbers have been on a downward spiral since 2017, he still adds value to the team as a batter who can attack from ball 1 in the first six overs.

Kishan was bought back by the Mumbai Indians for a lofty amount of ₹15.25 crores at the mega auction in 2022. Although he scored 418 runs in 14 matches, he had a poor strike rate of 120, a steep decline from his performances in 2020 and 2021.

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Middle Order: Suryakumar Yadav, David Miller, Tim David

The middle order looks highly destructive on paper. Suryakumar Yadav is arguably the best middle-order T20 batter currently. He has been in sensational form in both the IPL and international cricket.

Since 2022, Yadav has scored 1643 runs in all T20s at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 158, putting in one of the best T20 calendar year performances by a batter in the format.

David Miller was written off by most fans and experts. But he bounced back strongly and stepped up for the Gujarat Titans in style—he scored 481 runs at an average of 69 and a strike rate of 143. He showed a marked improvement in his game against spin, scoring 206 runs at a strike rate of 145 in the last IPL season at an average of 103.

Tim David possesses a magnificent power-hitting game, proving to be a revelation for MI. He showed glimpses of his abilities in the previous IPL season, scoring 186 runs in 8 innings at an average of 37 and a strike rate of 216.

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All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan

The all-rounder department has three players, all from the Gujarat squad. Their performances last season with both bat and ball were essential in their title-winning run.

Hardik Pandya is easily the best T20 all-rounder produced by India in the last decade. He had a very good season as an all-rounder in 2022: 487 runs at a strike rate of 131 and 8 wickets at an economy rate of 7.28.

Rahul Tewatia chipped in with valuable runs in the lower order. He scored 217 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 148. Although he barely bowled last season, he can offer some crucial overs on conducive surfaces.

Rashid Khan has been the best T20 player in the world for quite some time now. He took 19 wickets in 16 matches last season at an average of 22 and an economy rate of 6.6 runs per over. With the bat, he played some incredible cameos - 40(21) vs CSK, 31*(11) vs SRH & 19*(6) vs RCB.

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Fast Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah are arguably among the most valuable assets a T20 team can have at present. Mohammed Shami has also been a consistent wicket-taker in the IPL since the 2019 edition, with 78 wickets in 58 matches in that time period.

Shami is at his best in the powerplay overs, while Bumrah is elite in the death overs. In such a team, the usage of Jofra Archer can be extremely flexible depending upon the opponent and match situation.