Mumbai Indians: In pursuit of a hat-trick
Outlook
When Mumbai Indians lifted the Indian Premier League 2020 trophy, all those posing for the photograph put one of their hands up and gestured ‘five’, much like they had done in their 2019 victory, displaying four fingers – an account of their title wins, a symbol of their dominance that they threw around without a hint of modesty. It’s a high percentage in a 13-season old tournament and they’re well aware of it
There’s an Alexander-esque wave of high that Mumbai Indians are riding on, and the short turnaround time between the previous and the upcoming edition of the IPL has meant that the confidence of the defending champions is unlikely to have waned. With three trophies in the last four years, it would be quite cynical for them to chance on anything but a hat-trick.
Last year’s victory, apart from putting to rest some of the superstitions that the team bizarrely took too seriously, also asserted that the current side under Rohit Sharma is an all-weather unit. They out-planned, out-trained and out-executed oppositions even in foreign conditions. And what awaits them in 2021 is something similar, with no home games to take advantage of.
However, a settled combination, sharper back-ups, in-form players and a successful team drawing out the plans in the backroom – if not the confidence itself – should stand them in good stead to ensure they are well in contention to count ‘six’ in their season-end photo-op. If that’s to be, one hand won’t be enough.
Where have they finished in this cycle?
2018: 5th || 2019: Winner || 2020: Winner
Bugbear in 2020
Mumbai Indians were the second most expensive side in the middle overs (ER 8.07) and had the second worst average (37.48) in this phase. The spin duo of Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar were the most expensive going at 8.11 per over.
Additionally, MI’s third seamers didn’t lift their pace stocks much. James Pattinson, was expensive going at over nine per over while Nathan Coulter-Nile struggled to take wickets, picking just five in seven games.
Have they improved ahead of IPL 2021?
Hardik Pandya’s return to bowling is a plus, if not a big advantage. They have also made marginal improvements on their reinforcements.
Even as the core unit still remains the same, they have improved on their backups. James Pattinson has been replaced by Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan has made way for a younger promising talent – South Africa’s Marco Jansen. In the all-round department, Sherfane Rutherford has been replaced by James Neesham as the back-up for Kieron Pollard.
Piyush Chawla has been added to the squad and could have a role to play in XI at times, if not just be a worthy backup. . The team combinations, roles and approach are unlikely to be any different for as long as they continue their dominant spree.
Tactics Watch
Mumbai Indians have largely used their spinners in a defensive role. Since 2018, Krunal has conceded runs at 7.33 and Chahar at 7.41. However, while the latter has picked 28 wickets in as many matches, Krunal has bagged only 30 in 46. With Mumbai Indians playing most of their games on slower venues – five in Chennai and four in Delhi – it will be interesting to see if their roles will change.
They also have the option of using Chawla instead of Chahar on the slower venues and can even tweak their combination by bringing in Jayant Yadav for one of the foreign pacers if need be. On slower tracks, Kieron Pollard’s cutters could come in handy, much like how Hardik Pandya has used the trick in recent internationals.
League phase venue split
Chennai (5) | Delhi (4) | Bengaluru (3) | Kolkata (2)
Mumbai Indians have traditionally preferred faster pitches, much in line with what they’re offered at their home ground – Wankhede Stadium. In Delhi, they have won only 4 of the 11 matches played, while in Chenani they have won 5 out of 8 times. However, their record since 2017 has been dominant in these venues – winning both the encounters in Chennai and two out of three times in Delhi.
Even as their openers – Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock – don’t do well against spinners, striking at 111 and 110 respectively since 2017, the rest of the batting line-up enjoy their contest against tweakers. Even as they have scored at a higher rate against the pacers, the next five in line – Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya – are adept at countering spin.
Uncapped player watch
With Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan making their international debuts recently, Mumbai Indians are unlikely to have any uncapped player in the XI, and most of their back-ups too are likely to be international level players. Marco Jansen though, could be an exception.
The tall left-arm pacer from South Africa, who hits the deck hard, had troubled Virat Kohli in one of the practice sessions during India’s tour of South Africa in 2018. The IPL scouts have kept a close eye on Jansen for the last couple of years and were surprised when none of the other teams showed interest in him during the auction. Even as he is unlikely to get a game this year, he could be one of the long term prospects for the franchise.
Likely XI
Rohit Sharma (C), Quinton de Kock (Wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Adam Milne/Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar/Piyush Chawla, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
