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Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians

Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma during Mumbai Indians’ practice session. Photo: Mumbai Indians


Rohit Sharma will not be the captain of the Mumbai side for the first time in a decade. Hardik Pandya, who won a title in his inaugural season as captain of Gujarat Titans, is back at his first team in the IPL to lead them now in place of Rohit.


Will he be able to repeat what Rohit did in five out of 10 seasons as captain or what he did for Gujarat in the last two seasons by taking them to the final is the biggest challenge in front of Pandya now.


Business Standard try to do a SWOT analysis to see if his team has the potential to reach their seventh final or not.


Strength- Big Hitters and Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah is going through the form of his life. In the India vs England Test series, the pacer picked 19 wickets in four Tests at an outstanding average of 16.85. Though the ball would change from red to white, without injury, Bumrah would be as lethal as they get.

Check Indian Premier League 2024 full schedule here


Along with Boom-Boom, Mumbai would be powered by the presence of all-rounders and big-hitting finishers in the form of Pandya himself. They have Tim David, Romario Shepherd, and Mohammad Nabi to choose from, who will complement Pandya as the second finisher. The 360 degrees of Surya will always come into play as well at the fag end of the innings.


Mumbai Indians IPL 2024 Schedule


Date

Match

Venue

Time

Mar 24

Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

6:30 PM IST

Mar 27

Sunrisres Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians

Hyderabad

6:30 PM IST

April 1

Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

6:30 PM IST

April 7

Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

2:30 PM IST


Mumbai Indians


Mumbai Indians’ team huddle. Photo: Mumbai Indians

Weakness- Rusty Players

The rustiness of the players could be a problem for Mumbai going into the tournament. Be it Pandya, Surya, or Ishan Kishan, all three top batters have not played much competitive cricket in the last six months. Although Pandya and Ishan were seen in a corporate tournament just ahead of the IPL, the discrepancy between the standards of cricket in both tournaments is poles apart.

Check latest news on Indian Premier League 2024 here


Rohit Sharma, though he played all five Tests of the series, did not take the field all the time in every game, and age is catching up on him as well.


Mumbai Indians IPL players’ list and their Salary


Player

Nationality

Role

Price

 

 

 

 

Hardik Pandya

Indian

All-Rounder

₹15,00,00,000

Rohit Sharma

Indian

Batsman

₹16,00,00,000

Ishan Kishan

Indian

Wicket Keeper

₹15,25,00,000

Jasprit Bumrah

Indian

Bowler

₹12,00,00,000

Suryakumar Yadav

Indian

Batsman

₹8,00,00,000

Tim David

Overseas

All-Rounder

₹8,25,00,000

Dewald Brevis

Overseas

Batsman

₹3,00,00,000

N. Tilak Varma

Indian

All-Rounder

₹1,70,00,000

Riley Meredith

Overseas

Bowler

₹1,00,00,000

Arjun Tendulkar

Indian

All-Rounder

₹30,00,000

Anmolpreet Singh

Indian

Batsman

₹20,00,000

Hrithik Shokeen

Indian

All-Rounder

₹20,00,000

Piyush Chawla

Indian

Bowler

₹50,00,000

Nehal Wadhera

Indian

All-Rounder

₹20,00,000

Vishnu Vinod

Indian

Wicket-Keeper

₹20,00,000

Shams Mulani

Indian

All-Rounder

₹20,00,000

Jason Behrendorff

Overseas

Bowler

₹75,00,000

Kumar Kartikeya

Indian

Bowler

₹20,00,000

Akash Madhwal

Indian

Bowler

₹20,00,000

Romario Shepherd

Overseas

All-Rounder

₹50,00,000

Gerald Coetzee

Overseas

All-Rounder

₹5,00,00,000

Nuwan Thushara

Overseas

Bowler

₹4,80,00,000

Dilshan Madushanka

Overseas

Bowler

₹4,60,00,000

Mohammad Nabi

Overseas

All-Rounder

₹1,50,00,000

Shreyas Gopal

Indian

Bowler

₹20,00,000

Shivalik Sharma

Indian

All-Rounder

₹20,00,000

Anshul Kamboj

Indian

All-Rounder

₹20,00,000

Naman Dhir

Indian

All-Rounder

₹20,00,000



Opportunity- For Young Guns to Establish Themselves


It is an opportunity for young stars like Ishan, Tilak Varma, Deweald Bervis, Gerald Coetzee, and Dilshan Madushanka to prove that they are the right investments made by the Mumbai Indians franchise.


Even other Indian stars like Nehal Wadehera and Kumar Kartiklya would have to take centre stage with spin bowling, as Piyush Chawla at 36 cannot remain the strike bowler for a team like Mumbai.

Ishan and Tilak would have their eyes on the Indian T20 World Cup slot, and thus the IPL surely offers them a niche in the playing 11 of MI, allowing them to silence their critics with the bat.

Check IPL 2024 Points Table here


Threat- From Mid-Season Injuries


Most of the Mumbai big guns like Pandya himself, Bumrah, and Surya are coming off injuries. Pacers like Coetzee and Madushanka have been injury-prone as well, and with Rohit, a niggle here and there might be a cause of big worry for the Mumbai side.


Having already lost a big star like Jofra Archer for two seasons and Bumrah for one to injury, the Mumbai side cannot rule out injury as their major threat.


IPL 2024: MI Probable Playing 11


Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, Dilshan Madushanka

First Published: Mar 24 2024 | 4:15 PM IST

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