"He is not your wicket-taker and will not like the Mumbai ground much" - Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians spinner Mohammad Nabi heading into IPL 2024
Aakash Chopra reckons the Mumbai Indians' (MI) spin department is their potential weakness heading into IPL 2024. He noted that Mohammad Nabi will not be a potent weapon with the ball, especially on the batting-friendly Wankhede pitch.
MI had Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya and Shams Mulani as the three specialist spinners in their lineup heading into the IPL 2024 auction. They bolstered the department by acquiring Nabi and Shreyas Gopal at the auction.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that spin bowling could prove to be the Mumbai Indians' Achilles heel in IPL 2024.
"Is there a potential weakness with the Mumbai franchise? When I look towards spin bowling, it seems like it is a weakness. Piyush Chawla played very well last year. You will expect from him once again and he will do well too because he is actually a good player. Then they have Mohammad Nabi," he said (6:55).
"Mohammad Nabi is a great utility cricketer. He is batting extremely well these days. So he is adding a lot of value from the batting viewpoint. However, he is not your wicket-taker and will not like the Mumbai ground much because Mumbai is a graveyard for the finger spinners," the former India opener added.
Chopra noted that opposition sides will not be worried about MI's spin attack.
"It's a flat pitch and a small ground. This team also has Shams Mulani and Kumar Kartikeya, but will you ever have sleepless nights if you have this spin department in the opposition, and that you will get stuck if you play against them? You will never feel like that," he stated.
Chopra claimed that the Mumbai Indians will depend a lot on Piyush Chawla in the spin-bowling department. He added that their attack can become unidimensional if they field four or five seamers in the playing XI.
"A huge factor will be how Hardik captains" - Aakash Chopra on the other defining aspect for the Mumbai Indians
![Hardik Pandya (left) was the Gujarat Titans captain in the last two editions of the IPL. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/03/01749-17109928501726-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra feels Hardik Pandya's captaincy could also be a defining factor in the Mumbai Indians' campaign in IPL 2024.
"A huge factor will be how Hardik captains. There have been so many discussions about Hardik. There will be an emotional outpour because a very successful franchise has made up its mind to move forward with a new captain, where Rohit has a huge fan base on one side as he has won a lot for Mumbai," he elaborated (8:00).
"However, perhaps this was time to move on. That is absolutely fine because that is the franchise's decision. However, can the entire team rally behind Hardik Pandya? That is going to be a huge factor. I won't slot it as a weakness but it's almost like an opportunity," the reputed commentator added.
The Mumbai Indians traded in Hardik Pandya from the Gujarat Titans ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. They subsequently named him their skipper, replacing Rohit Sharma, who led them to five titles. The Mumbai-based franchise will hope that the move does not hamper the team dynamics and their campaign this season.