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IPL 2019: 3 players that could turn the tables for Mumbai Indians

After a rather poor showing in 2018, there isn’t an ounce of doubt that the Mumbai Indians will be looking to stamp their authority in the IPL this season. Last time around, the 3-time IPL champions had succumbed to the pressure and expectations. They’ve made some good buys at the auction, but will that bring about a change?

Here, we take a look at three players that could bring success to the Mumbai Indians in 2019.

1) Rohit Sharma

The last couple of seasons haven't seen the best of Rohit Sharma.
The last couple of seasons haven't seen the best of Rohit Sharma.

The flamboyant Indian batsman had a season to forget last year. Amidst the constant shuffling between opening the batting or plying his trade in the middle order, the runs had gone past Rohit Sharma. Less than 300 runs at an average of 23 is not what you'd expect from a player of Sharma’s stature. In fact, the skipper’s dry IPL had begun from 2017, where he amassed 333 runs at an average of 24.

Everybody, except the team management, wants Sharma to open the batting. Unfortunately, this time around as well, it seems a far cry. With the presence of Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton De Kock and Evin Lewis, it’s unlikely that Sharma will open. I’d put him in at three and no further than that. With the kind of hitting abilities that the middle and lower order batsmen have (Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Ishan Kishan), there isn’t a need for stability down there. It’s required up at the top.

Sharma doesn’t necessarily need to run the show for the Mumbai Indians. It’s important that he takes a backseat and plays the role of an anchor, around whom the others display their lavish skills. If Mumbai can keep their wickets intact till the 10th over or so, good luck to the opposition team.

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