IPL 2020: 3 impact players who can be match-winners for MI this year
BCCI recently announced that the 13th season of the IPL will be postponed and will not commence on the originally scheduled date, March 29th. Franchises have made sure that their players got acclimatised to the demands of the league by conducting preparatory camps until the decision of postponement was taken by BCCI.
Mumbai Indians are the reigning champions and they will look to successfully defend their crown during this year's edition. If the tournament doesn't get cancelled or the format changed, MI will play their first game against their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings. Rohit Sharma, who missed a couple of months of action due to an injury issue, is set to be back during the IPL and he will be looking to lead his side from the front.
Squad for IPL 2020: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Mohsin Khan, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Digvijay Deshmukh, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Sherfane Rutherford.
Despite having a strong core team already, the Mumbai franchise further strengthened its lineup during the auction by purchasing players like Chris Lynn. On that note, here are three players from the MI squad who have the potential to be match-winners this year.
#3 Hardik Pandya
Maverick allrounder, Hardik Pandya has been part of multiple IPL Trophy-winning campaigns of Mumbai Indians till now. He has been MI's mainstay in the finishing department over the last few years. He lends incredible balance to the side as he has the capability to bowl 4 decent overs and bat aggressively in the middle order.
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Pandya recently made his comeback to competitive cricket after taking a long break due to injury issues. He proved his match fitness and displayed great form while playing in a T20 tournament held in Mumbai recently.
He has the potential to be a match-winner in both the batting and bowling departments for MI.
#2 Chris Lynn
Mumbai Indians management will be very happy that they procured the services of Chris Lynn during the Auction process. Lynn is known for his destructive stroke-making ability and is a world-renowned T20 exponent.
Lynn had a fruitful season with the bat while playing in PSL and also scored a magnificent hundred for his franchise Lahore Qalandars. His current batting form will surely make the Mumbai franchise happy and set alarm bells ringing in opposition camps.
He is expected to open the innings for MI along with skipper Rohit Sharma during the upcoming season. Due to his big-hitting prowess, Lynn has the capability to be a match-winner for MI in IPL 13.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah recently made his comeback to international cricket after a lengthy injury layoff. Since coming back he has not been able to replicate his old wicket-taking form. Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill attacked Bumrah and scored freely against him during the ODI series.
Bumrah will be looking to find his rhythm soon and spearhead the Indians bowling attack in the upcoming IPL season.
Mumbai Indians won the championship last year largely due to Bumrah's excellence with the ball as he was highly economical and took wickets at crucial junctures of the games. The team management will be hoping that Bumrah will have yet another stellar season as he is arguably their biggest match-winner.