IPL 2019: 3 Mumbai Indians players who are expected to play a greater role this season
Mumbai Indians are a champion team. Having won the IPL trophy three times in five years, they know how to go about their business.
Under the astute captaincy of their skipper Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians are always a threat to every other team in the league.
This year before the auctions, MI released a number of players who they deemed unfit for their squad. While players like Rohit Shama, the Pandya brothers, Ishan Kishan, the newly acquired Quinton de Kock, Jasprit Bumrah et al would be regular starters in the playing XI, there are a host of other players who would be rotated around based on their form and the conditions in which the match is being played.
On that note, let's look at three retained players from the Mumbai Indians squad who didn't play regularly last year but are expected to play more significant roles this season:
1. Ben Cutting
The Aussie all-rounder is an experienced T20 campaigner. One of the first names on the team sheet for the Brisbane Heat, Cutting adds crucial lower-order balance to any team he plays for.
Explosive with the bat and more than handy with the ball in hand, he could be an ideal like-for-like replacement for the out of sorts Kieron Pollard. While Pollard might be expected to play the first few matches, he is likely to be pushed out of the XI if he fails to perform.
Cutting will then come squarely into the picture. Watch out for his contributions this season.
2. Jason Behrendorff
A tall and lanky left armer, Behrendorff can swing the ball both ways, making him very lethal during the Powerplay overs. That can be evidenced by the fact that he took a 4-wicket haul on T20 debut for Australia against India.
Behrendorff can extract good bounce from most surfaces too, thanks to his height. He seems a likely option to replace Mitchell McClenaghan, who has lost his bite in recent times.
3. Siddhesh Lad / Suryakumar Yadav
The dashing Mumbai duo find themselves amongst a host of other international stars. While Yadav did play regularly last season, and proficiently at that, he was used primarily as an opener.
Now, with the acquisition of Quinton from RCB, Yadav's place as an opener might be in doubt. The hard-hitting Ishan Kishan could be preferred over him.
But a middle-order spot alongside skipper Rohit is definitely up for grabs, and both Yadav and Siddhesh Lad might be in contention for it. Watch out for Lad, who is a sort of a crisis man for Mumbai.