IPL 2018: Comprehensive team analysis and probable playing XIs
The IPL extravaganza will get underway from 7th April. The eleventh edition of the cash-rich league promises to be an exciting affair as all the teams will be aiming to win the coveted title. Teams have built a strong squad by buying players as per their needs in the auction.
The beauty of this year's IPL is that all the teams look evenly matched and thus some close contests are expected. The team management of all the teams would have made their strategies regarding their playing XI and how to make the best use of the players available to them. To know how the teams stand and how far they can progress, we will analyse the squads of all the teams and the probable playing XIs.
Mumbai Indians
The defending champions have kept the core of the squad from last year intact. They have gone with a tried and tested combination and will hope to add another IPL title to their list.
Mumbai Indians Squad
Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, Mustafizur Rahman, Pat Cummins, Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar, Evin Lewis, Saurabh Tiwary, Ben Cutting, Pradeep Sangwan, JP Duminy, Jason Behrendorff (replaced by Mitchell McClenaghan), Tajinder Singh, Sharad Lumba, Siddhesh Lad, Aditya Tare, Mayank Markande, Akila Dhananjaya, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, Nidheesh Dinesan
Batsmen - Mumbai Indians have put their money on domestic batsmen like Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Siddhesh Lad, Aditya Tare and Ishan Kishan. Rohit Sharma and JP Duminy will look to put their vast international experience to good effect. West Indies opener Evin Lewis will be making his IPL debut this year and will want to light up the tournament with his hard-hitting batting. Overall, Mumbai Indians' batting looks to be over-dependent on Rohit Sharma.
All-rounders - Mumbai Indians have the best all-rounders this season. Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard have all proved their worth by delivering some match-winning performances in the past and will look to continue to do so. They will be joined by the Australian all-rounder Ben Cutting which provides the team management ample options. Mumbai Indians' all-rounders make them a side to beat in this year's IPL.
Bowlers - Mumbai Indians' bowling looks a little thin. They have Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman, Mitchell McClenaghan and Pat Cummins in the fast bowling department. While Jasprit Bumrah will be a handful for any opposition, Mustafizur and McClenaghan have been out of form of late. Cummins has had a long season playing for Australia and Mumbai Indians' team management will have to manage his workload carefully.
Spin bowling is another major concern for Mumbai Indians as they don't have established spinners in their squad. Rahul Chahar, Anukul Roy and Akila Dananjaya are all young and can crumble under pressure.
Predicted Playing XI - Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rohit Sharma (C), Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Suryakumar Yadav, Pat Cummins, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman