3 Indian Mumbai Indians players who would have been a great fit at MI New YorkÂ
MI New York (MINY) have arguably one of the most star-studded squads in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023. T20 superstars like Rashid Khan, Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult, Nicholas Pooran, etc. together in a single team make them one of the favorites on paper.
While active Indian players aren't allowed to participate in MLC 2023, it would be interesting to think hypothetically about which players would have been a perfect fit for MI New York. The Mumbai Indians, with five IPL titles to their name, certainly have a strong Indian core from which the MINY team could have become even stronger.
On that note, let's take a look at three such Indian players from the current Mumbai Indians squad, who would have virtually walked into the MI New York team even as overseas players:
#3 Ishan Kishan
While Steven Taylor is arguably one of the most explosive USA batters in the league, it is still not clear who would open with him for MINY. Someone like Ishan Kishan could have been more than handy for the role.
His explosive style of batting, coupled with a right-hand left-hand combination at the top would have potentially given MI New York the license to go had from both ends in the powerplay.
Moreover, Ishan's wicketkeeping would also have allowed MINY to play that extra batter/bowler as per the team combination and would have potentially freed Nicholas Pooran from the keeper's role.
#2 Suryakumar Yadav
Arguably the best T20 batter in the world at the moment, there would be no team in the shortest format that wouldn't benefit from having Suryakumar Yadav in their XI. SKY has been incredibly consistent for MI and could have played the same role for MI New York.
With big hitters like Kieron Pollard and Tim David to follow, Suryakumar Yadav could have been that ideal No.3 in the MINY batting line-up who would have had the freedom to absolutely toy with the bowling attack.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah
MI's ability to find and polish hidden gems gave them Jasprit Bumrah, who has gone on to become arguably one of the best all-format bowlers in the world. In T20s especially, Bumrah's ability to bowl at the death makes him a crowned jewel for any bowling attack.
The prospect of seeing Bumrah, Trent Boult, and Kagiso Rabada as a pace trio also seems mouthwatering. What this could have potentially done was it could have freed up captain Pollard to use both Boult and Rabada upfront with the new ball and then back on the ever-reliable Bumrah to control the death overs. When fit, Bumrah is another player who can potentially walk into any T20 team.