The Mumbai Indians will be one of the favorites to win the IPL 2024 event. Aside from the huge names and young superstars, their balance sets them different from the other clubs in the upcoming 17th season of the league.
The Mumbai Indians will be led by Hardik Pandya, probably India’s best all-rounder. The top order will feature huge Indian stars like Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav, who will miss the first game but is anticipated to return for the second.
The middle and lower orders will be led by young Tilak Varma, Australian hard-hitter Tim David, and skipper Hardik Pandya, respectively. Their bowling looks decent, and Jasprit Bumrah will return to Mumbai colors after missing the previous season due to injury.
With Rohit Sharma moving on to a new role and Hardik Pandya returning as captain, the five-time champion Mumbai Indians (MI) will embark on a new era in the 2024 Indian Premier League. Even though the Mumbai Indians have constructed a star-studded roster for the IPL 2024, batting veteran Sunil Gavaskar believes the five-time champions have a weakness. Former champions Mumbai Indians will face Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL season opener on Sunday.
The Mumbai Indians signed all-rounder Hardik in preparation for the IPL 2024 auction. MI signed Pandya from Gujarat Titans (GT) in an all-cash deal and named him Rohit’s replacement. The white-ball expert led Gujarat Titans to consecutive finals. Under his leadership, GT won the 2022 edition of the world’s richest T20 event. Pandya was also Rohit’s deputy for the 2023 ICC World Cup.
Gavaskar identifies Mumbai Indians’ weakness
After recovering from an ankle injury, Pandya declared himself fit to bowl in the IPL 2024. The recently appointed Mumbai Indians franchise skipper is likely to complement pace ace Jasprit Bumrah, who will also return to the IPL this season. Last year, a back ailment forced the elite fast bowler to miss the whole IPL season. Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the new season, batting icon Gavaskar pinpointed death-bowling as Mumbai’s weakness.
Sunil Gavaskar also identified the player to watch out for in the IPL 2024. He believes that Dhruv Jurel, the keeper-batsman for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), has the potential to light up the league in the forthcoming season. The batting great believes that a young batter may be promoted up the order. He added:
‘Bumrah is there but…’
“Death over bowling. Bumrah is present, however it is possible that runs will seep from the other side. So I believe this is a weakness on the Mumbai Indians’ side,” Gavaskar stated. Bumrah and Hardik lead Mumbai’s bowling attack, which includes Jason Behrendorff, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, and Dilshan Madushanka. India rested Pacer Bumrah for the fourth Test of the five-match series against England. Keeping Bumrah’s workload in mind, MI can also start Akash Madhwal, who took a record-breaking five wickets against the Lucknow Super Giants last season.
