After coming off their fifth Indian Premier League title and having won it in back-to-back fashion, the Mumbai Indians have high expectations coming into 2021. The hope is for a third consecutive IPL title, but championships are hard to come by. However, this club looks poised to win another one as some have already suggested that they have no weaknesses. That being said, let's preview this team.
The Lineup
There aren't any easy spots in this lineup and it will be tough for opposition to slow Mumbai down. MI boast some of the best players in the league and it's tough to get any of them out. With Rohit Sharma at the top, there's an immediate great batsman to face off against. After that Quinton de Kock and Krunal and Hardik Pandya are tough, plus there's Kieron Pollard who's been spectacular during the off-season as he's in form and being incredibly productive of late as he hit six sixes in an over for West Indies against Sri Lanka. There's even depth there with Chris Lynn and Saurabh Tiwary just in case of injuries. However, the team got breakout campaigns from Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan in 2020 as they were spectacular and make this lineup even deeper.
Depth
Mumbai has a lot of depth. While some have suggested that in the spin bowling department the team is lacking, Rahul Chahar had a spectacular 2020. Plus the team went out and got Piyush Chawla and he is expected to get a lot of playing time, while Krunal Pandya can also step in when needed. Also mentioned was how deep the lineup is, but also acquiring a player like James Neesham helps a lot and gives them lots of options. Lastly, the pace bowling department is so deep that even an injury isn't going to be that much of a concern. Jasprit Bumrah is the best bowler in the league and is expected to do what he does, but with options like Trent Boult, Dhawal Kulkarni, and Mohsin Khan, re-acquiring Nathan Coulter-Nile in the IPL Auction, bringing in Adam Milne in the auction, plus even getting Arjun Tendulkar (yes, the son of Sachin Tendulkar) in the auction makes this department so deep and makes up for the spin. Yes, the retirement of Lasith Malinga hurts, but the club should manage fine.
Keeping Up Their Momentum
While last year the Indians started off slow, they came back and qualified with time to spare. Can they carry that over into 2021? Like mentioned earlier, Kishan broke out in 2020 as he hit the most sixes (30) in the tournament. The hope is that he can keep that up as well as Surya Yadav as he was incredibly productive for Mumbai. If those two can do what they did in 2020, then it makes things easier for the Indians to win a third straight title. The bowling department definitely was upgraded especially in the spin which needed to be as Chawla gives the team options, experience, and quality. Then lastly, if Sharma and de Kock keep up their partnership going as strong at the top of the lineup, then good things will happen.
What To Expect Out Of MI For 2021
Ah yes, the big question of expectations. Simply put, expect them to compete for the title again. The lineup is deep, plenty of options in the bowling department, the bench gives the team chances to compete if injuries occur, and there's a lot of talent and experience here. So the question should be whether the rest of the IPL has caught up to MI.
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