Contents
MI in IPL 2024: Team preview
Mumbai Indians (MI) are the 5-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions. Rohit Sharma led the franchise with dignity from 2013 to 2021 and helped them make a name for themselves. However, MI will have a new skipper in Hardik Pandya for the upcoming edition.
Hardik was roped in by MI in an all-cash trade with the Gujarat Titans. Back in 2022, Hardik led the Titans to victory in their maiden IPL after which his team finished as the runners-up. The decision to replace Rohit with Hardik as the skipper created a lot of uproar among fans.
Mumbai Indians – MI best playing XI for IPL 2024
However, MI head coach Mark Boucher said that Hardik has been given the role keeping in mind the transition phase for the franchise. Hardik also has the experience of captaining India’s limited-overs teams. Recently, he returned to competitive cricket in the DY Patil T20 Cup after recovering from a foot injury.
In the auction, MI spent 16.70 crores and still had a purse of 1.05 crore left with 25 players already in their squads. After letting go off Jofra Archer, Riley Meredith and others, Mumbai focussed on buying fast bowlers and roped in the likes of Dilshan Madushanka, Romario Shepherd, Gerald Coetzee and Nuwan Thushara.
Thushara worked with Lasith Malinga in the SA20 2024 and he would work under the Sri Lankan legend even in the IPL. Mohammad Nabi has been a part of many franchises over the years, including Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), but has had to warm the benches often.
Last year, MI advanced to the playoffs after finishing fourth. However, they lost to the Titans in the Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad and crashed out of the tournament. After not winning a title in the last 3 seasons, it remains to be seen if Mumbai can win IPL 2024.
Hardik Pandya during the Star Sports event for IPL 2024.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 24, 2024
– The homecoming & love for Hardik after 2 long years into the MI family. ⭐ pic.twitter.com/e6QI4nnjWj
Full MI squad for IPL 2024
MI, like most seasons, have a strong squad at their disposal. The likes of Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah bring in a lot of experience. Tim David, Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis and Gerald Coetzee are among their most talented youngsters in the team.
MI squad
Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, N. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Romario Shepherd, Hardik Pandya (c), Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma.
Strengths
- Stronger pace attack
Mumbai Indians have a strong set of Indian and overseas fast bowlers. They have the likes of Bumrah, Akash Madhwal, Madushanka, Coetzee, Jason Behrendorff and Nuwan Thushara.
- Power-packed Indian contingent
Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Nehal Wadhera, Ishan Kishan, Hardik, Rohit, Bumrah, Chawla form a strong Indian contingent. The likes of Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar and Shreyas Gopal are also more than handy.
- Quality All-rounders
Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Nabi, and Romario Shepherd are quality all-rounders, having done well in various tournaments around the world. Brevis, who dismissed Virat Kohli in IPL 2022, has potential to become a top-quality all-rounder.
Weaknesses
- Piyush Chawla’s genuine backup
Piyush Chawla was the pick of their spinners last season after he picked up 22 wickets. Although MI have Shreyas Gopal and Kumar Kartikeya in their ranks, a genuine wicket-taker seems lacking.
- Backup opener
Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan are most likely to open the batting and can be devastating as a pair. However, if any of them get injured, MI lack someone, who has substantial experience as an opener.
- Lack of experience in India for overseas recruits
Madushanka, Coetzee and Thushara have loads of talent, but they do not have enough experience of playing on Indian soil.
MI Predicted XI
- Rohit Sharma
- Ishan Kishan
- Tilak Varma
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Hardik Pandya
- Tim David
- Mohammad Nabi
- Romario Shepherd
- Piyush Chawla
- Akash Madhwal
- Jasprit Bumrah
Impact player options for MI
Nuwan Thushara can be an effective option as an Impact Player for MI. Thushara has an action like Malinga and can cause problems to batters, who have not faced him. His point-point yorkers can come in handy on pitches where it can get tough for bowlers.
He recently showed his class for MI Cape Town and would be looking to replicate something similar in the IPL. The likes of Vishnu Vinod and Kumar Kartikeya can be handy Impact Players among Indians as they can be game-changers on their days.
Who is the Owner of Mumbai Indians in IPL? MI IPL Team Owner
Season prediction
Mumbai Indians have always been a force to be reckoned with. Even this year, they have a handy set of cricketers. Quite a few seasons, they started slowly before finding their rhythm. Hence, one should not rule them out if they lose three to four matches in a row.
MI know how to thrive under pressure and know the art of putting their best foot forward in crunch moments. Hardik will be captaining them for the first time, but he knows the franchise inside out having played seven seasons for them from 2015 to 2021.
Reply with the Player who is going to be top run scorer for MI in IPL 2024. pic.twitter.com/C4d8ZHWNwp
— Mumbai Indians FC (@MIPaltanFamily) March 3, 2024
Hardik has shown his class as captain in the last 2 years, both for India and in the IPL. Hence, it remains to be seen how he shapes up in his new role. Having a mentor in the form of Rohit Sharma is expected to help him grow both as a captain and cricketer.
As far as the upcoming season is concerned, given the strength of their team, they should be able to reach the top four. MI strengthened their squad in the auction and that should help them in the 2024 edition of the IPL.
MI have a strong fanbase and a big reputation. Hence, it will be interesting to see if Hardik is able to cope up with the pressure of leading a team as big as Mumbai Indians. As of now one can expect them to qualify for the playoffs, but the road from there can be tricky for them.
