One of the richest and joint most successful sides in the Indian Premier League, the Mumbai Indians, head into the 2025 season eager to win their sixth title.
The Hardik Pandya-led side finished at the bottom of the table and were the wooden spoon holders, having won just 4 out of their 14 games. Despite possessing a formidable squad on paper, they were unable to live up to the expectation, in light of the captaincy controversy before the tournament began and the lack of team unity during the season.
Mumbai Indians Preview and Strengths
Before the auctions, the men in blue retained their core of: swashbuckling batsman Suryakumar Yadav, captain Hardik Pandya, opener Rohit Sharma, the middle order batter Tilak Varma, and lastly, currently the best pacer in the world and ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year, Jasprit Bumrah.
The acquisitions of Trent Boult, Reece Topley, Deepak Chahar, and the youngster Arjun Tendulkar further strengthened Mumbai Indians’s bowling attack which was heavily reliant on Bumrah last season.
In the batting department, they’ve got Rohit Sharma up the order who has a point to prove after enduring an underwhelming campaign last season and comes off fresh from leading team India to Champions Trophy victory. Having Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya means they can dismantle any bowling lineup in front of them. Naman Dhir was a revelation last season, having a strike rate of 155.5 in 17 innings, and having played at different positions in the middle order.
A player to watch out for in that batting lineup, however, could be Robin Minz. The wicket-keeper batsman is an exciting young talent and has caught the eye of many people despite playing just 6 innings at a staggering strike rate of 181.08.
As regards the pace department, yet again, Bumrah will be the player to watch out for but this time, they will have Boult, Topley, Chahar, and also South African speedster Corbin Bosch to rely on. Mitchell Santner was a smart buy in the auction, as the New Zealander provides them an option of 4 good overs of spin and batting down the order. Accompanied by Mujeeb-ur-Rehman and Karn Sharma, they possess different types of spinners, which could be crucial to one of the fastest scoring grounds in the IPL in the last two seasons (9.84).
Mumbai Indians weaknesses
One of the biggest concerns, which could prove to be their weakness as the season goes on, is the availability of Bumrah. The 31-year-old pacer has been out of action since January and there is no clarity regarding his availability.
Even though Boult is a pacer who could be relied upon with the new ball, at the death, without Bumrah, they will be left with Reece Topley and Deepak Chahar. The Englishman, in particular, has had injury concerns of his own over the past few seasons and Chahar’s death bowling stats are not pleasing, only posing him as a threat with the new ball.
Furthermore, over the years, Mumbai Indians have had a designated finisher, namely Kieron Pollard and Tim David, but this season they don’t have such a name in their squad. Hardik Pandya does possess the ability to do so, however, it remains to be seen whether the captain’s striking ability will be relied upon in the death overs or will entrust Naman Dhir or Robin Minz with that job, both of whom are not experienced finishers.
Mumbai Indians Probable XI
Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickleton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya, Mitch Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma. Impact Player: Deepak Chahar.
