Mumbai Indians IPL 2024 Season Preview: MI Seeking a record sixth title, relying on captain Hardik Pandya’s magic touch

Mumbai Indians Team Preview: The team is gearing up for the 2024 Indian Premier League. Before the Chennai Super Kings tied the record last year, their previous period, which lasted for ten years, was characterized by the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Sharma took over the club in 2013 when he was still in his mid-20s and led them to five titles, making them the most successful team in league history.

For the first time in ten years, MI will begin the season with a new captain this year. Hardik Pandya, whose career took off after joining MI, is back at the Gujarat Titans after playing two really successful seasons. Pandya was given leadership of MI because of his achievements as GT’s captain, including winning a championship and finishing second in two consecutive seasons.

In the three seasons since their previous IPL championship in 2020, MI has made it to the playoffs once. They finished last in the 10-team tournament for the first time in their history, making the 2022 season their worst ever.

MI is hopeful that, with Pandya leading the team, the versatile all-rounder can put them back in the top division.

MI has put together a strong team with elite T20 players. Given his brilliance with both the new ball and the old ball, Jasprit Bumrah’s availability is perhaps the greatest benefit of all. Despite Bumrah’s injury that kept him out of the game the whole previous season, MI was still able to qualify for the playoffs.

They have also signed Gerald Coetzee, a South African pacer who is renowned for his propensity to produce huge smashes later in the order. Along with Bumrah, Coetzee, Pandya, and Akash Madhwal, Australian Jason Behrendorff was their joint second-highest top wicket-taker in the 2024 Indian Premier League and would be crucial to their pace attack. With the signing of Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammed Nabi and Karnataka all-rounder Shreyas Gopal, they have bolstered their spin assault. The two are anticipated to combine with MI’s all-time top wicket-taker, Piyush Chawla.

MI is proud of its potent batting lineup, which includes Tim David, Ishan Kishan, Pandya, Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Verma at the top. Given that Pandya batted at number four for GT while being MI’s designated finisher, it will be intriguing to see what part he plays in this setup.

How They Lost Their Last Time

Considering the record low of 2022, IPL 2023 was a huge improvement. They finished fourth in the standings and advanced to the playoffs with eight wins and six losses out of a total of 14 games.

As seen by their spectacular 81-run rout of the Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator, MI were at their best at the right moment. The happiness was short lived, however, as they were defeated by GT by 62 runs in the second qualifier.

Best Player(s) to Keep an Eye on

Ishan Kishan: Despite not having participated in an international cricket match since November 2023, the wicketkeeper-batsman has made headlines. Ishan has some evidence to support his claims, as the BCCI has not granted him a yearly contract. With the T20 World Cup commencing immediately after the IPL, he will be an integral part of MI’s preparations, and what better way to make a statement than with a successful season? Ishan was MI’s second-highest scorer last year with 454 runs.

Akash Madhwal: In his first season in the IPL 2023, the Uttarakhand pacer grabbed attention. The right-arm bowler ended with 14 wickets in only eight games. In the eliminator match against LSG, he bowled a brilliant spell, finishing with five wickets in 3.3 overs. Will Madhwal fulfill his promise after a strong start?

Gerald Coetzee: Last year, Coetzee made his debut for South Africa on the international scene in a variety of forms. At the ODI World Cup in India, he was South Africa’s standout player, taking the most wickets (20) of any South African in a single tournament. He was undoubtedly the draw during the IPL auction because of his 140-kmph bowling and his short deliveries that troubled hitters. And MI paid a cool Rs 5 crore to get his services.

The strongest playing eleven are Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Madhwal, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya (c).

The entire team consists of Rohit Sharma, Tim David*, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis*, Ishan Kishan, Vishnu Vinod, Hardik Pandya, Romario Shepherd*, Nehal Wadhera, Gerald Coetzee*, Mohammad Nabi*, Jasprit Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff*, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Piyush Chawla, Dilshan Madushanka*, Nuwan Thushara*, Anshul Kamboj, Shreyas Gopal, Shams Mulani, Naman Dhir, and Shivalik Sharma.

*Players from abroad

Schedule for the Mumbai Indians

March 24: 7:30 PM IST versus Gujarat Titans (Ahmedabad)

March 27: 7:30 PM IST vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad (Hyderabad)

April 1: 7:30 PM IST against. Mumbai’s Rajasthan Royals

April 7: 3:30 PM IST vs. Delhi Capitals (Mumbai)