How will Mumbai Indians' playing XI look like in IPL 7?
Just one more day until the IPL 7 begins. For students like me, it’s one of the most exciting things I look forward to every summer.
Here’s a predicted playing XI for Mumbai Indians this season:
Rohit Sharma (Captain) (With MI since 2011. Previous franchises: DC)
Rohit Sharma
A double IPL winner (2009 Deccan Chargers, 2013 Mumbai Indians), Rohit Sharma has proven to be one of the most effective players in the shortest format of the game. Last season, a couple of games into the tournament, Rohit Sharma took over the teams’ captaincy and led Mumbai to their maiden IPL title. Another trophy got added to Rohit Sharma’s cabinet a few months later, when he led Mumbai Indians to their second CLT20 crown. Here are a few of his stats in the IPL :-
Overall - Matches: 97, Runs: 2513, Strike Rate: 129.66, Average: 32.63, Highest Score: 109*
Last Season - Matches: 19, Runs: 538, Strike Rate: 131.54, Average: 38.42, Highest Score: 79*
Michael Hussey (Yet to play for MI. Previous franchises: CSK)
Michael Hussey
The mainstay of Chennai Super Kings’s batting since many years, Michael Hussey will be hoping to replicate his IPL form for Mumbai Indians. The Aussie veteran has already won the IPL and CLT20 crown with CSK in 2010. His average of 52.35 last season just goes to show the consistency Hussey still has in himself even at 38. Here are a few of his stats in the IPL:
Overall - Matches: 46, Runs: 1691, Strike Rate: 124.33, Average: 44.50, Highest Score: 116*
Last Season - Matches: 17, Runs: 733, Strike Rate: 129.50, Average: 52.35, Highest Score: 95
Ambati Rayudu (With MI since 2010)
Ambati Rayudu
Rayudu impressed in his debut season with MI, scoring 356 runs in 14 matches with a strike rate of 144.71. Due to this, he was retained for the next three seasons as well and continued to impress. Last season wasn’t as eventful for him as he went through the entire tournament without a half century, with a high score of just 37. However, he still remains first choice wicket keeper for the side. Here are a few of Rayudu’s IPL stats:
Overall - Matches: 66, Runs: 1349, Strike Rate: 125.02, Average: 26.98, Highest Score: 81*
Last Season - Matches: 19, Runs: 265, Strike Rate: 114.71, Average: 18.92, Highest Score: 37
Aditya Tare (With MI since 2010)
Aditya Tare
Even though Tare has been with MI since 2010, he has been in and out of the side due to the bigger names in the dressing room. The exit of batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik means Tare will see more opportunities coming his way this season. He may not be having the best average, but he has an excellent strike rate and that’s what matters in t20 games. Here are his IPL stats:
Overall - Matches: 12, Runs: 173, Strike Rate: 144.16, Average: 19.22, Highest Score: 59
Last Season - Matches: 5, Runs: 123, Strike Rate: 146.42, Average: 24.60, Highest Score: 59
CM Gautam (Yet to play for MI. Previous Franchises: DD, RCB)
CM Gautam
Another inexperienced name in MI’s lineup, CM Gautam is however, no stranger to the T20 format. He plays for Karnataka in the domestic cricket front. He was with RCB for a few years in the beginning but didn’t play a game for them. Last season with DD was when CM Gautam got his breakthrough, playing three games for them. Here are his overall T20 stats:
Matches: 21, Innings: 17, Runs: 235, Strike Rate: 107.30, Average: 18.07, Highest Score: 53*
Corey Anderson (Yet to make his IPL debut)
Corey Anderson
In 2007, Corey Anderson became the youngest New Zealander to be given a national contract. However, he first caught the world’s eye on 1st January, 2014, when he hit the fastest ODI century off just 36 balls, beating the record of 37 deliveries set by Shahid Afridi 17 years back.
Corey Anderson eventually went on to make an unbeaten 131 off 47 balls in that game. It didn’t turn out to be a one off performance as Corey Anderson impressed in the forthcoming India’s tour of New Zealand series. In the first three games he played, Corey Anderson scored 120 runs, taking 10 wickets in the process. He is surely one big gun to watch out for this IPL. Here are his T20 stats:
Batting: Matches: 37, Innings: 25, Runs: 318, Strike Rate: 128.22, Average: 14.45, Highest Score: 44
Bowling: Matches: 37, Innings: 15, Runs Conceded: 343, Economy: 7.97, Average: 31.18, Wickets: 11, Best: 2/21