IPL 2021: Three reasons why Mumbai Indians (MI) are still the favorites for the competition
IPL 2021 took a small hiatus back in May and after a few months of waiting, the second phase of the competition is about to begin in the UAE on the 19th of September. The show will be kickstarted by the biggest rivalry of the tournament, Mumbai Indians (MI) vs the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
When the 13th edition of the IPL began in India, MI were the outright favorites for the title. But the Chennai leg, where the five-time champions lost three out of their first five games, made them seem human. With four wins from seven matches, the Mumbai-based franchise are fourth in the points table.
While there are teams who have played better cricket than MI thus far, here are a few reasons why they should still be considered the favorites for the tournament.
#3 The conditions in UAE suit MI's strengths
The conditions on hand in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai cater to MI's needs. Last year in the IPL 2020, the five-time champions blew teams away with the bat, especially at the death. MI possesses a range of power hitters who can dismantle any bowling lineup on a given day.
They will not have to worry about the ball sticking to the surface like it did in Chennai. The likes of Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard can hit through the line and trust the pace and bounce.
Moreover, under the lights, there is something on the pitches for the fast bowlers. The duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult terrorized teams in the IPL in 2020. If both of them are at their hundred percent, MI will elevate to another level. One that other teams will find hard to reach.
#2 Important players have had the time to find form
The first phase of IPL 2021 saw MI's middle order struggle. Apart from Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard, the batters flattered to deceive, especially Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya. The former was dropped due to his shambollic start.
Kishan scoed just 73 runs in 5 IPL games at a strike rate of 82.95. However, on India's tour of Sri Lanka, the young wicket-keeper looked a lot more like himself. He is heading into the second phase of IPL 2021 in better shape and that's good news for the defending champions.
Another player MI desperately want to find form is Hardik, who has had one of his worst IPL's ever up until this point. He has scored an astonishingly low 52 runs from 7 games at a strike rate of just around 118. Furthermore, he didn't bowl a single over in the first phase of the tournament but that's about to change.
Pandya bowled a lot of overs on India's tour of Sri Lanka, which means he is ready to be an all-rounder again for MI. This will arguably add more balance to the team and make the Rohit Sharma-led franchise stronger.
#1 Still the strongest side on paper in the IPL
The second phase of IPL 2021 being so close to the 2021 T20 World Cup is not ideal for every team. Many important players, such as Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, have already withdrawn from the tournament, weakening their respective franchises as a result. For MI, on the other hand, that's not the case.
Their first choice players are all set to take part in the competition and on paper, they are still the most balanced side. If they go on a run of victories, then it is going to be very hard to stop them. The defending champions have the opportunity to do something no team has ever done before - three-peat the IPL. That should be enough motivation for the team.
Rohit Sharma and Mahela Jayawardene know how to win and they'll not go down without a fight.