Mumbai Indians is one of those teams which founded in 2008 when the Indian Premier League was officially inaugurated. MI is the most successful franchise of the IPL, along with CSK.
This article takes an in-depth analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of MI Squad 2024. Furthermore, we also predict the performance of MI based on the squad formation.
Without further due, let’s get started.
MI Squad Breakdown
- Batsmen: Tim David, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Suryakumar Yadav
- All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Dewald Brevis, Piyush Chawla, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shams Mulani,Romario Shepherd, Tilak Varma, Shreyas Gopal
- Fast-Bowlers: Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Nuwan Thushara
Spinners: Kumar Kartikeya, Shivalik Sharma, Naman Dhir
MI Squad Strengths
MI Squad 2024 has been successful in including a few exciting picks. Let’s have a complete look at their strengths:
Strong Bowling Lineup
MI faced a great challenge in the IPL 2023 due to their vulnerable bowling attack. However, this year, they have improved their bowling lineup by including Gerald Coetzee and Nuwan Thushara. They have released Jofra Archer and have gone for more lethal fast bowling options.
The excessive pressure on Jasprit Bumrah has been released, and MI has finally created a balance in their bowling attack.
Top Indian Batters in the Team
The biggest strength of MI over the past few years has been their star-studded and solid batting lineup consisting of Indian players. The batting lineup looks way stronger than before with the addition of Hardik Pandya.
The batting order consists of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, and Nehal Wadhera. It includes top and middle-order batsmen who also play for the Indian International Team. It shows how strong MI’s batting is expected to be.
One of the most balanced sides
Mumbai Indians is one of those very few teams in the IPL who have all their bases covered on paper. The batting looks exceptional, and the bowling looks quite improved. With the addition of Hardik Pandya, the team has a quality match-winner all-rounder as well.
MI looks strong enough to challenge the opponent’s batting and bowling lineup. All these qualities make Mumbai Indians a very settled team for the upcoming season of IPL.
MI Squad Weaknesses
There are a few weaknesses in the team. Let’s dig deeper into them to find out more:
Lack of Quality Spinner
Mumbai Indians have picked a decent spin-bowling attack. However, the team has the absence of a prominent and efficient spinner who can play the role of leading the spin bowling.
Piyush Chawla played a massive role in the team last year. He is accompanied by Shreyas Gopal, who is still inexperienced and has yet to prove his worth for the Mumbai Indians.
It looks like MI missed a golden opportunity by not going for Wanindu Hasaranga as the team is still devoid of an experienced spinner, who can lead the spin-bowling attack.
No Quality Backup Up Opener
MI has exceptional openers in the form of Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, but there are always injury concerns. Unlike other IPL teams, MI does not have a specialist opener in the squad who serves as the backup of these openers.
It’s not a significant weakness, as Ishan and Sharma will always be MI’s priority. However, to be secure and safe, a team always needs a good backup option at the bench. MI would hope that their openers have a smooth IPL season without any injuries.
New Skipper
Another aspect that can create a problem for MI is their sudden change of captaincy. Rohit Sharma has played a massive role in the franchise’s success over the years. However, Hardik Pandya will be the new skipper.
As Hardik Pandya is returning to the team, he would have to adjust himself first. The extra burden of responsibility can be a challenging task and might affect MI’s performance if the captaincy is not effective enough.
However, MI hopes that Pandya will lead them from the front without taking any pressure in crunch situations.
Ideal Starting XI of Mumbai Indians
Based on the new picks and a few notable retentions, Mumbai Indians have formed a thrilling squad. Here is the ideal playing XI of MI that they should start with:
- Rohit Sharma
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- Hardik Pandya (c)
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Tilak Varma
- Tim David
- Romario Shepherd
- Piyush Chawla
- Nuwan Thushara
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Akash Madhwal
Performance Prediction for Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians have been the most successful team in IPL history. The squad formation like every year is solid enough to win every single game. However, the new bowling lineup has added another plus point to the team’s bucket. The batting order looks stronger than before and the addition of Hardik Pandya as the prime all-rounder is another achievement.
The spin bowling attack suffers from the absence of a specialist spinner, who has the experience to lead the others. The change of captaincy is yet another challenge that Mumbai Indians would want to overcome. Hardik Pandya is going to carry a huge burden on his shoulders as he is set to lead the MI in the upcoming season of IPL.
Despite all these challenges, we predict MI to secure the #1 spot in the points table. They have almost all their bases fully covered and we predict the Mumbai Indians to lift the IPL trophy for the sixth time in the IPL 2024.
