The biggest Twenty20 franchise cricket league, the Indian Premier League, is just days away. All the squads have reached the UAE, and some of them have even started training. With all the preparations going in full flow before the IPL, we are here to discuss the probable playing XIs of all the teams.
So we are starting with the 4 times as well as the defending champions, the Mumbai Indians. Here’s the probable playing XI that MI can begin with, at least for the first game.
You can read for other teams, here in this section.
1. Rohit Sharma (C)
Skipper Rohit Sharma will open for the Mumbai Indians. He is a very explosive opener in white-ball cricket, and everyone knows what he is capable of. He is the third-highest run-scorer in the history of the IPL, with 4898 runs in 188 games. He had scored 405 runs in 15 games last season, which isn’t that good considering how good he is. Mumbai will want their skipper to perform well with the bat this season and lead them to another title win.
2. Quinton de Kock (WK)
The Protea captain Quinton de Kock will open along with Rohit Sharma. De Kock was the highest run-scorer from Mumbai in 2019, and third overall with 529 runs in 16 games. He is one of the best limited-overs batters currently and also provides a left-hand, right-hand combination at the top. De Kock exploited the field restrictions of the powerplay and provided MI a quick start. Mumbai will expect something similar from him this season too.
3. Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav will bat at 3 for MI Paltan. He performed exceptionally well for them last season. He controlled the innings in case of an early collapse and accelerated when needed. He played well against CSK in Chepauk. He scored 424 runs and played a vital role in the middle order for the defending champions. He anchored the innings well in almost all the games and laid a platform for their finishers to take on the death overs’ bowling.
4. Ishan Kishan
Ishan will bat at 4. He is a very exciting young, explosive batter known for his big-hitting in the middle overs. He maintains the run-rate in the middle overs and keeps the momentum going. The southpaw scored 101 runs in 7 games last season, including a blistering 62 against KKR last season where he went bonkers against Kuldeep Yadav in the middle overs. He’ll want to perform more consistently for the Mumbai Indians this season.
5. Hardik Pandya
Star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya will bat at 5. Known for his big sixes, Pandya is one of the most important players of the side. He has the ability to whack sixes from the first ball. He can take on any bowling line-up, and himself is very handy with the bowl. He scored 402 runs in 16 games at a whopping strike-rate of 191.42 and picked up 14 wickets last season. The same kind of performance will be expected from this time around.
6. Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard will bat after Hardik Pandya. He is as aggressive as one can get in the t20 format. He bats a bit low in the Mumbai batting line-up, so he doesn’t get too many balls to face, He is an excellent player of both spin and fast bowling. He scored 279 runs in 16 games at a strike-rat of 156.74, including a brilliant knock of 83 against KXIP when he led the side in Rohit’s absence.
7. Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya will be the second all-rounder in the Mumbai Indians squad.after his brother Hardik. Krunal is a utility player to have in the XI. He can bat up higher when the team needs to control the innings, can score big when needed, and is also very good with his left-arm orthodox bowling and a great fielder to go with all that. Krunal scored 183 runs in 16 games and had 12 wickets to his name in the 2019 season of the IPL. Krunal is a very busy player, and his team will expect some good performances by him in the 2020 edition.
