IPL 2023Mumbai Indians look to salvage pride after a nightmarish season in 2022

By Saurabh KumarMumbai Indians, one of the most high-profile T20 franchises across the globe, are the most successful side in the history of the Indian Premier League, having won five titles. Mumbai’s star-studded lineup, which included Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya, first made a name for themselves in 2010, when they finished runners-up.

However, their first title triumph came five seasons later, in 2013, when Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy from Ricky Ponting mid-season. The team, which was firing on all cylinders, won all of their home games at the Wankhede Stadium, tied for points with the table-topping Chennai Super Kings, and beat them to win their first IPL title, giving Sachin Tendulkar a fairy-tale ending to his IPL career.

Mumbai’s best four seasons were from 2017 to 2020 when Rohit established himself as one of the best Indian T20 captains on the circuit. MI, once known as a team that waited too long to qualify, topped the table and won three times in four years, becoming the most successful IPL team.

However, Mumbai Indians had a forgettable IPL 2022 season, winning only four of 14 games. They finished the season at the bottom of the table. Ishan Kishan led his team in scoring with 418 runs in 14 games. He had three half-centuries, the highest of which was 81.

GREEN HIGHLIGHTS IPL 2023 AUCTION FOR MI

The 2023 IPL auction saw the MI team management going for top Australian players like Cameron Green and Jhye Richardson. MI had Rs. 20.55 crores left in their purse going into the IPL 2023 auctions, with nine slots to fill, including three overseas players. And the 5-time IPL champs spent Rs 17.5 crores by the team management, while Richardson was secured at Rs 1.5 crores.

Green also became the IPL’s second-most expensive player in history. MI also signed Jhye Richardson for INR 1.5 crore, in addition to Green. They later added Piyush Chawla, Duan Jansen, Shams Mulani, Nehal Vadhera, and Vishnu Vinod to their squad at their base prices. Cameron Green along with Tim David will be expected to give MI the balance with both bat and ball and fill in the gap left due to the retirement of Kieron Pollard.

ARCHERMI’s POWERHOUSE FOR IPL 2023

Despite bagging the wooden spoon in IPL 2022, MI identified young and talented players in the form of Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis, Hrithik Shokeen, and Tristan Stubbs, who are set to form the basis of the squad in IPL 2023. Also, in the absence of the injured Jasprit Bumrah, Jofra Archer will be the squad’s most potent weapon this season. Archer was drafted last season but was unable to play due to injury. However, his return would benefit Mumbai’s bowling attack.

On the batting front, Ishan Kishan will be crucial for the team, along with Suryakumar Yadav, who has excelled in the shortest format of the game. If Mumbai Indians are to make it big this season, Suryakumar must perform spectacularly. The captaincy of skipper Rohit Sharma is another strength for the team. It will be crucial for MI that their captain fires after an ordinary season with the bat last year. Rohit will be keen on making a mark with the bat in the World Cup this year.

Mumbai Indians, a top-tier team, were at their worst last season, but the franchise knows how to make a strong comeback in the big tournament. They will miss the services of Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya, but it is time for new players to step up and win their sixth title.

The Mumbai Indians have a number of foreign bowlers in their squad, but the absence of Jasprit Bumrah is a major disappointment. They require an Indian pacer in the squad, and Arjun Tendulkar currently appears to be a perfect fit. He, along with Archer and Richardson, can help Mumbai limit the opposition’s pace, but if that strategy fails, MI will be desperate for an Indian fast bowler to bowl on the bouncy Wankhede Stadium pitches.

MUMBAI INDIANS ALL GROUP FIXTURES FOR IPL 2023:

Mumbai Indians will open their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore away from home on April 2 as they look for a winning start. Their first home game in IPL 2023 is against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings on April 8.

MUMBAI INDIANS FINAL SQUAD

Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Jofra Archer, Tim David, Mohd Arshad Khan, Ramandeep Singh, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Tristan Stubbs, Kumar Kartikeya, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal, Cameron Green, Jhye Richardson, Piyush Chawla, Duan Jansen, Vishnu Vinod, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Raghav Goyal