With every passing day we are inching towards IPL 2021 and to help our readers be prepared, we have prepared a SWOT analysis of 5-times IPL Champions Mumbai Indians. The Mumbai Indians have remained as one of the most formidable teams in almost all the editions of IPL. The team sports a cracking opening-duo and a lethal pack of pacers and it’s no wonder that the team has been winning the last couple of IPL seasons.
On its best day, the team is more than capable of snatching victory from the opposition thanks to their star-studded batting lineup. However, on its worst day, the team can fall into the abyss of defeat due to its lack of bench strength and absence of spinners.
Here’s what could go on to work for the Rohit Sharma led team which will be playing the first match of the IPL 2021 against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 9:
Mumbai Indians Strength:
MI’s biggest strength comes in the form of its batting, especially in the form of the reliable duo of Rohit Sharma and Quinton De Kock. The team also has the option in the form of Chris Lynn for the times when Sharma or De Kock do not want to open and want to go down in the batting line up. Adding to this, MI also has Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, two of the most promising Indian T20 players. Both Yadav and Kishan were included in India’s T-20 team in the recent T20 series against England, thanks to their phenomenal performances in IPL 2020.
Going a little deeper down, the team also possesses the Pandya brothers: Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya, both all-rounders, both extremely dangerous when they get going. While Pandya has been contributing in Indian cricket team since the last couple of years, Krunal recently made is debut and scored a century and took 3-wickets in the same game to mark his presence. The presence of bombastic batsman Kieron Pollard also makes for a lower-batting-order that’s cut above every other team currently.
Mumbai Indians Weakness
While everything seems to be going in the right direction for Mumbai Indians, at least on paper, there are a few weaknesses the team carries. As it is said, even the giants have their weak spot, so does Mumbai Indians. Mumbai Indians’ weakness comes in its spin bowling department compared to rivals the team doesn’t possess as amazing spin bowlers. While Krunal Pandya, who was the only spinner in the final India VS England ODI, can come to the middle and take wickets here and there, he is more a restrictive option thanks to Chepauk’s pitch.
Another weakness that may plague MI in the two-and-a-half month long IPL 2021 is not having enough bench strength for each slot. There are likes of Arjun Tendulkar, Mohsin Khan and more who can take the place of the primary players, but Tendulkar having played only 2 games and Mohsin not having any relavant IPL experience can hurt Mumbai Indians in the long run should the players of the team end up injuring themselves.
Mumbai Indians Opportunities
This year, Mumbai Indians had bagged two foreign all-rounder cricketers in the IPL 2021 auction: James Neesham and Marco Jansen. James Neesham, from New Zealand, can hit all around the ground and help his team with bowl as well. Marco Jansen is a South African all-rounder who got inducted in MI after De Kock suggested MI to go for him during the auction. The 20-year-old, 6-feet-8-inches tall, all-rounder could turn the game around and cement his place in the squad.
Mumbai Indians Threats
Mumbai Indians have retained and bought a few players that have in the past been injury prone. Chris Lynn, retained by MI has had a bout with injuries over the course of his career. While fast bowlers Adam Milne and Nathan Coulter-Nile were bought in this year’s auction and have picked up injuries in the past right before an IPL season started. The MI can find itself in a soup if their main players get injured, given the team also doesn’t possess a satisfactory back-up bench.
IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians complete squad:
Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (WK), Chris Lynn, Anmolpreet Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Aditya Tare, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohsin Khan, Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, James Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, Arjun Tendulkar.
