MI Team Preview: Can Rohit and Co Three-Peat Amid High Competition in the IPL?
Unarguably the most successful team in the history of the IPL, the Mumbai Indians are back to defend their trophy. Mumbai might be the only team to boast of eleven capped players in their line-up; Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings might have a word or two here, with some of the best Indian players featuring in the Blue of Mumbai. They have, in fact, won five of the last nine IPL trophies and will be gunning for the sixth this time around. But how do the Mumbai Indians roster shape up ahead of the season-opener? Let's find out!Team Insight: Mumbai might just be the most well-balanced of them all, and rightly so! When you've got the Pandya brothers and Kieron Pollard, who is available for 50.10 Sixer Coins, you cannot go wrong. And if you got the likes of Quinton de Kock (52.40 Sixer Coins) and Suryakumar Yadav (67.00 Sixer Coins) in your ranks, it just tops it all. This is the case with Mumbai, which have a very settled side. With explosive players throughout the batting unit, Mumbai seems well-equipped, although a change in home venue could have a profound effect. But Mumbai's superior squad depth is likely to ensure a smooth passage to the playoffs, at least.Strongest Possible XI*: de Kock (wk), Rohit (c), Surya, Kishan, Pollard, Hardik, Krunal, Chahar, Bumrah, Milne and BoultPlayers to Watch Out ForRohit Sharma (50.80 Sixer Coins): Captain Rohit Sharma's arrival in Mumbai has coincided with a golden era for the franchise. While his captaincy is second to none, Dhoni fans look away, his batting has often left some room for improvement in the IPL. For context, Rohit hasn't averaged above 30 in his last four IPL campaigns, with his strike rate of 127 in his previous two seasons being well under-par. But in Rohit, you have a genuine match-winner capable of going ballistic at any given time. The question is whether he can up the ante this year as Mumbai eye a sixth IPL trophy!Hardik Pandya (60.20 Sixer Coins): Perhaps India's best all-rounder in the white-ball formats, Hardik Pandya is a popular pick in the Sixer Market! Adept with the ball and explosive with his hard-hitting batting antics, Pandya comes into this tournament on the back of some good form. In the recently-concluded T20I series against England, Pandya registered four 50+ match scores, and it wasn't even his batting that stood out! If Pandya is able to churn out some good overs with the ball, his fantasy shareholders are in for a heck of a time this IPL season!Jasprit Bumrah (61.90 Sixer Coins): Who else but Bumrah? Mumbai's greatest asset with the ball, Bumrah is a wicket-taking machine, with the pacer picking 28 wickets last time around. Although he missed out on the Purple Cap, it isn't out of his reach this time around. Bumrah was highly impressive in the previous edition with as many as four match scores of over 100, the highest for any player and even traded at 85.93 Sixer Coins! If he were to repeat the trick again, Bumrah's fantasy stocks might be selling out left, right and centre!Adam Milne (44.10 Sixer Coins): The latest addition to the Mumbai Indians roster, Adam Milne might well be the trump card for the reigning champions. Blessed with pace and accuracy, Milne costs just 44.10 Sixer Coins, the least of all Mumbai Indians players although his ability is right up there. One needs to only look as far as his breathtaking performance against Adelaide Strikers in BBL 2020-21, where he returned figures of 1 for 6 in his four overs. With Mumbai playing a few games in Chennai, his raw pace could prove to be the difference in the Sixer Market!With Adam Milne's addition to the roster, the Mumbai think-tank seems to have improved an already impressive side. But for any successful side, there will be a peak! But the question that lingers on is how good the Mumbai Indians are! If you think Rohit Sharma and co can go all the way again, adding them up to your portfolio might well be a wise decision!* - This is the author's opinion and has nothing to do with Sixer. The side may or may not be the final XI.