IPL 2018: In-depth analysis of the Mumbai Indians squad for the upcoming season

Mumbai Indians have always been an exciting team in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ever since the inception of the tournament in the year 2008, the Mumbai Indians have given opportunities to many cricketers who have gone on to represent their teams at the national level.

Mumbai Indians are the only IPL team to have won the coveted trophy thrice i.e. in the years 2013, 2015 and 2017.

While a few players from the previous seasons were retained by MI in the auction, there are also a few new players who will be looking to make an impact.

Here is the SWOT analysis for the Mumbai Indians squad:

Strengths

1. All-rounders:

The success of any team is dependent on the all-rounders in the playing 11. Mumbai Indians are blessed with not one but as many as four all-rounders who are likely to feature in the playing 11.

Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya have tasted success with the team in the previous seasons, and the trio are game-changers on their day. They are not only capable of changing the course of the innings with their aggressive batting in the death overs, but their bowling too is an asset for the Rohit Sharma-led team.

Apart from the trio, J.P. Dumminy is also likely to feature in the playing 11 and his off-spinners could be handy for the skipper in the middle overs.

2. Pace bowling department:

The trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins and Mustafizur Rahman have played enough T 20 cricket at the international level and can create havoc for any batting line-up. While Bumrah and Rahman are known to be death overs specialists, Cummins can be a perfect bowler to bowl in tandem with the duo.

Hardik Pandya will most likely be the fourth pacer in the line-up. In case of an injury to any pacer, the Mumbai Indians boast of a rich reserve in Mitchell McClenaghan, who has played with success for them in the past.

3. Experience of players with the team:

The core of the Mumbai Indians squad for the 2018 season has remained the same with players like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah being retained. The likes of Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard were also bought back in the auctions, while Saurabh Tiwary and Mitchell McClenaghan have played with the Mumbai Indians before.

The 2018 season will be the sixth for Rohit Sharma as captain, and having won three trophies in five seasons, he is the most successful captain in the history of IPL.

Thus, with the nucleus of the team remaining the same, there is bound to be strong bonding amongst the players, which can be a strong factor in the success of the team.

Weaknesses

Rahul Chahar will take up the challenge of bowling to the best batsmen in the world in 2018 IPL

1. Lack of spinners with experience:

The biggest weakness in the Mumbai Indians squad is the lack of quality spinners. While Akila Dananjaya is the only spinner to have played international cricket, it is very unlikely that he will feature in the playing 11 considering that only four overseas players can feature in the line-up.

The other spinners in Rahul Chahar, aged 18, and Anukul Roy, aged 19, are relatively inexperienced; it will be a challenge for them to bowl against any world-class batsmen they run into.

In all likelihood, the duo of Duminy and Krunal Pandya will play the role of spinning options for Rohit Sharma. The lack of a specialist spinner may hurt the team this season.

2. Lack of a wicket-keeper with international experience:

Another weakness for the Mumbai Indians is the lack of a wicket-keeper who has the experience of playing international cricket.

The two keeping options for the Mumbai Indians are Aditya Tare and Ishan Kishan. While Tare has played before for the Mumbai Indians and has captained Mumbai in domestic cricket, this season could be the perfect platform for a youngster like Kishan to showcase his talent on the big stage.

Opportunities

Siddhesh Lad will look to replicate his domestic level success in the 2018 IPL

The 2018 IPL will provide the perfect opportunity for the middle order batsmen like Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary and Siddhesh Lad to replicate their domestic level success at the international level.

The 25-year-old Lad averages 43.23 in first class cricket, 46.44 at List A level and 29 at the domestic T20 level. He will look to get a call-up into the national team by performing consistently at the IPL and the subsequent domestic season.

The 2018 season will also provide opportunities to Ishan Kishan and Rahul Chahar to compete with the best in the world under the guidance of Rohit Sharma.

Threats

Mumbai Indians will be dependent on Lewis to get them off to good starts

Over dependence on key players like Evin Lewis and Rohit Sharma to get the team off to a flying start in all the games might be a problem for the Mumbai Indians. The Indian youngsters in the middle order will have to take up some responsibility too, and the role of players having played international cricket will be vital to the success of the team.

Another big threat for the team will be the lack of a quality spinner on pitches that assist slow bowlers, particularly in Kolkata and Chennai. It will also be interesting to see the pitches at the Wankhede Stadium and whether the pitches will suit the pace-heavy Mumbai Indians team.

Overall, the team is well-balanced but lacking a bit of experience in the middle order and the spinning department. However, the team has many match-winners and game-changers, and they will in all likelihood reach the top 4.

From there, Rohit & Co will give their best to win their fourth IPL trophy.