IPL 2021: 3 MI players to watch out for
Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will be delighted that the second phase of the IPL 2021 season is taking place in the UAE. That's because the defending champions' performances were head and shoulders above that of the other teams when the IPL was last held there.
With a number of stroke-makers in their ranks, it was difficult for MI to adjust on the slow turning tracks in Chennai, where they played the first five games of the IPL 2021 season. However, they gathered pace as they moved to Delhi and have won four out of the seven games that they have played so far.
3 MI players vital for their chances of winning IPL 2021
There is no lack of depth in quality as far as MI are concerned and one would not hold it against them to make it three title wins in a row. With that said, let's take a look at three players who will be crucial to their chances this season.
#3 Rahul Chahar
If there was probably one weakness in this formidable MI outfit, it was the lack of depth in the spin bowling department. However, young leg-spinner Rahul Chahar has ensured with his performances that MI don't have to worry about the depth.
In the first phase of the IPL 2021 season, Chahar picked up 11 wickets in seven games at a stunning average of 18.36 and a brilliant economy rate of 7.21. His impressive performances made him the go-to man for skipper Rohit Sharma and he almost single-handedly won MI a couple of games.
Rahul Chahar was also impressive on the tour to Sri Lanka and looks to be a certainty in India's T20 World Cup squad. It will be interesting to see whether he is able to keep the same momentum in the second phase.
#2 Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan was MI's best batsman in the IPL 2020 season held in the UAE. He scored 516 runs and that helped him get his maiden India call-up. Kishan also shone on his India debut, scoring an impressive half-century.
However, things turned sour for the young southpaw on the slow and turning tracks in Chennai. Ishan Kishan played just five games, scoring only 73 runs. He was so woefully out of form that he was dropped from the side.
Nevertheless, Kishan will have a golden opportunity to find his form in the UAE. The pitches are likely to suit his kind of batting and he will be confident given his past performances here. If he gets into his groove, it will be difficult to stop him as he is a genuine match-winner for MI.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav
Not many would argue that there aren't many who are timing the ball better than Suryakumar Yadav in world cricket at the moment. The Mumbai lad scored heaps of runs in the domestic circuit as well as in the IPL for MI and got his chance to represent India.
Although he had to wait for a long time, Suryakumar has almost made a permanent place for him in India's middle-order in T20Is. His Player of the Series performance against Sri Lanka showed his pedigree as a successful 50-over batsman too.
Suryakumar didn't set the IPL 2021 stage ablaze, scoring just 173 runs in seven games with a half-century. However, he is in sublime form and could potentially be MI's biggest match-winner.