If Mumbai Indians are to pose a threat for other teams this year, they have to have a completely fit Rohit Sharma leading from the front. Known for being slow starters, they have always managed to stage a coup of sorts in the last stages of the event to qualify for the play offs. But Mumbai Indians would do well to realize that they have been treading this dangerous route for some time now. And they did mess up last year as a result of this tendency and couldn’t qualify for the playoffs, finishing fifth.
This year they will be heavily reliant on their domestic talent, especially in the batting department. And the good news is that players like Parthiv Patel, Krunal Pandya, Aditya Tare have all had a great run with the bat in the domestic season. Mumbai bowling though, looks strong lead by the usual suspects, Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan. They would also welcome Mitchell Johnson into their fast bowling department though it’s yet to be seen how much of threat he could pose given he doesn’t play for his national side any longer.
They would also want their most important all-rounder Kieron Pollard to find his feet early in the tournament. This is crucial to their prospects considering their four foreign quota players don’t look as potent as the other teams.
Mumbai Indians can never be counted out, but it will be interesting to see how they respond to these challenges.
