It's a new season for the Indian Premier League, but with the Covid-19 pandemic, the season is starting much later than usual. The IPL will also move to the U.A.E. to play tournament. However, that won't deter Mumbai Indians from defending their title. With that being said, let's preview the Mumbai Indians in 2020.
The Lineup
Mumbai Indians already had a deep lineup when they won in 2019, but it has suddenly gotten even deeper. With already some big bats like Rohit Sharma, the Pandya brothers, Quinton de Kock, and Kieron Pollard, this lineup is fearsome, however, it's gotten even deeper with options like Chris Lynn, Sherfane Rutherford, and Saurabh Tiwary joining the side. The only question is how should the lineup be constructed, but regardless, they'll score a lot.
Bowling
Despite having the best bowler in the IPL in Jasprit Bumrah, there is some question with how that will be constructed especially with Lasith Malinga not being available this season. However, there's plenty of options here especially with Trent Boult, James Pattinson, and Nathan Coulter-Nile joining the team and with Mitchell McClenaghan already on the squad, head coach Mahela Jayawardene should be okay when making his decision on whom to bowl, though he will have to find the right bowling combination. But, the big concern is in the spin department as that is clearly the weakness for the squad. Losing Malinga's pace bowling hurts as well, so they will need someone to step up in that regard.
Will They Repeat?
M.I. might be the most successful IPL team, but repeating is never easy. Without a quality spin bowler, repeating will be tough. However, their lineup is going to score a lot and that might make the spin issue something minor. That being said, this is a good team that has a load of experience.
Prediction: Make the playoffs. Not making a prediction on whether they win the whole thing quite yet as it's too difficult to determine, but they are a favorite. The squad is deep and very strong, so there's a very good chance M.I. wins the whole thing in repeat fashion. Also, it would break the trend of only winning in odd years.
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