3 reasons why MI must start with KL Shrijith in their playing 11 for IPL 2025
Riding on a scintillating 150 from KL Shrijith, Karnataka chased down the second-highest score in Vijay Hazare Trophy history and registered a six-wicket win over Mumbai with more than three overs to spare. The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter showed his wide array of strokes and belted the Mumbai bowling attack to different corners of the ground.
Mumbai's Shivam Dube and Shreyas Iyer looked in superb touch and plundered 148 runs in just 65 deliveries. They ended up posting a daunting 382 on the board and it looked like a very tall order for a relatively inexperienced Karnataka side.
However, Shrijith batted with flair and precision and ensured Karnataka went on to chase the target down in the 47th over. At the mid-innings break, the coach and the captain were hopeful of Karnataka chasing this down and Shrijith batted magnificently to take their side over the finish line.
“Since the innings break, the captain and the coach said we have the batting power to chase it down. Each of us sincerely believed that we could chase it down,” Shrijith was quoted as saying by Sportstar following the conclusion of the game.
“We were asked to go there and express ourselves, obviously take 5-10 balls to know how the wicket was playing and then go for our shots and look to chase it down,” he added.
Courtesy of his superlative knock, Shrijith will definitely be on the radar for the Mumbai Indians. The five-time franchise might end up adding him to the playing XI from the start of the tournament. After going unsold from 2020-2024, Shrijith was finally roped in by MI and he was absolutely delighted with his maiden IPL contract.
After his destructive knock, MI will certainly look at giving him a chance early on in the tournament. Here are three reasons why MI must start with KL Shirjith in their playing XI for IPL 2025:
#1 Shrijith is flexible and can bat anywhere in the batting order
What makes him an important member of the Mumbai Indians set-up is his ability to bat at any position. He can open the innings and set it up perfectly for MI in the powerplay. Shirjith can bat in the middle order and also play the role of a finisher if required.
MI has been longing for a brutal option at the top of the order and Shrijith could end up solving the top order issued for the five-time champions. The stylish left-handed batter has the ability to mold his game according to the match situation. If given an opportunity, Shrijith could end up making a significant impact for MI.
#2 Shirjith is a wonderful batter against spin and is an exceptional runner between the wickets
Another attribute that might prompt the Mumbai Indians to include KL Shrijith in the playing XI is his superb track record against spin. The southpaw has the ability to dominate spinners, especially in the white ball formats which might be beneficial for the Mumbai Indians in the middle overs.
Shirjith can tonk the ball long but also has the waiting game up his sleeve if the top order falters. Besides his exceptional batting qualities against spin, he is also a brilliant runner between the wickets which is very important in the T20 format. He can easily convert singles into doubles which tends to put pressure on the opposition.
#3 Shrijith being a local keeper can allow MI to play two overseas spinners if required
Another criterion that can be fulfilled if Shrijith gets added to the MI playing XI is the option of playing two overseas spinners according to the conditions. Shrijith is a pretty safe keeper and his inclusion will certainly add flexibility to the MI squad.
With Mitchell Santner and Allah Ghazanfar both in the squad, it could be a tricky decision for the team management and Hardik Pandya to leave out one among them.
If Shrijith is part of the XI, MI can afford to play both Santner and Ghazanfar if the pitch is conducive to the spinners. Shrijith can solve quite a few problems for MI and allow them to field their preferred XI given the conditions and oppositions.