The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to kick off in a few days and fans are eager to see their favorite teams back in action. Mumbai Indians (MI), one of the most successful teams in the history of the tournament, will be gearing up for a fruitful season under the leadership of new captain Hardik Pandya. Mumbai Indians made it to the playoffs last year, but a quick hundred from Gujarat Titans’ Shubman Gill in the second qualifier helped them defeat Rohit Sharma-led MI.

MI became an IPL heavyweight under Rohit’s leadership and won the title five times in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

The Mumbai-based side have struggled to recreate their former glory in recent years after losing key players such as Quinton de Kock, Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult and the Pandya brothers. brilliant.

In November 2023, MI traded all-rounder Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an all-cash deal through the trade window. The deal provides MI with the necessary funds to complete another all-cash deal with Gujarat Titans (GT) to acquire the services of Hardik Pandya.

The five-time Indian Premier League champion entered the mini-auction with one of the smallest purses in the field – Rs 17.75 crore. However, MI’s brain trust got the lineup and mix right by procuring the services of Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Mohammad Nabi and Nuwan Suchhara at reasonable prices.

According to the two-week schedule released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), MI will play last season’s runners-up Gujarat Titans on March 24 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad Opening game.

As MI prepares for the new season under a new captain, let’s take a look at their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

strength

With the likes of Rohit, Hardik, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Jasprit Bumrah in the squad, the Indian squad in MI looks solid on paper . They also have domestic talent in the likes of Nehal Wadhera and Akash Madhwal, both of whom performed well last season.

Jasprit Bumrah is ready to lead the MI bowling attack this season after missing last season due to a back injury. He has been in superb form of late and will be full of confidence after wreaking havoc in the five-match Test series against England. Bumrah has been with MI for 10 years and has scalped 145 wickets in 120 games with an economy rate of 7.4.

Additionally, the addition of Coetzee and Madushanka will strengthen MI’s pace battery, which already boasts the likes of Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff and Madhwal.

weakness

Piyush Chawla made a dream comeback with MI last year, taking 22 wickets in 16 innings at an economy rate of 8.11. But the veteran spinner has not featured in an official match since late last year and it will be interesting to see how MI fare if Chawla is unable to deliver the ball.

They do have a backup option in Shreyas Gopal, but the Karnataka spinner is yet to make his mark in MI. Young domestic talents like Kumar Karthikeya, Nehal Wadhera and Shams Mulani can provide some spin bowling opportunities despite their lack of Jorah’s experience.

Chance

Hardik Pandya’s appointment as Mumbai captain has received mixed reactions but there is no doubt about his captaincy pedigree.

Hardik made his IPL debut with MI in 2015 and has played a key role in the team’s success over the years. However, it will be interesting to see how Rohit adapts to his new role once Hardik takes charge of the five-time champions.

Hardik has had a memorable spell as the captain of the Gujarat Titans, winning 22 of the 31 games he played in the past few years. Under Hardik’s leadership, GT reached two consecutive finals and won the championship for the first time in 2022.

Ishan Kishan is another player who is hoping to have a good season in 2024, considering a place in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States is up for grabs.

threaten

Former MI captain Rohit Sharma had his worst-ever IPL season in 2022, scoring 268 runs in 14 games. Even his 2023 season didn’t go as planned, with him scoring just 332 points in 16 games.

In fact, Rohit has not performed well in an IPL season since 2016 as he has averaged in the 20s for the past seven years. It remains to be seen whether we will see the senior Rohit once he comes on board this year.

Another aspect that might worry MI is that the IPL heavyweights will play their home games at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, which does not provide respite to the bowlers. How MI manages its inexperienced bowling group of Coetzee, Madhushankar and Tushara at home will be interesting to watch.

Maybe 12

Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Tilak Varma, Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, Dilshan Madushanka, Akash Madhwal (shock substitute)

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)