Mumbai Indians are the 5-time IPL title winner so far. Last season was neither excellent nor disappointing for MI. Could IPL 2022 be the 6th time Rohit Sharma will lift the trophy? The answer is not straightforward. The limited number of venues is an advantage for MI. Because it will be home turf for MI, most of the time. Rivals like CSK, KKR, and DC have relatively poor win percentages on these venues. MI brought back the stock MI-style team together from the auction. Big names include Jofra Archer, Tymal Mills, and Tim David.

It was no surprise when MI let Hardik Pandya go. It was clear that MI would retain Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan over the Pandya brothers. MI kept Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, and Suryakumar Yadav.

These four players will be the core team for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022:

PlayerRolePriceIPL 2021 PerformanceT20 Performance in 2021
Rohit SharmaRight-hand batter16 Cr13M, 381 runs, 29.31 avg, 127.42 SR24M, 805 runs, 33.54 avg, 138.79 SR
Suryakumar YadavRight-hand batter8 Cr14M, 317 runs, 22.64 avg, 143.44 SR30M, 636 runs, 24.46 avg, 148.60 SR
Kieron PollardAll-rounder6 Cr14M, 245 runs + 5W42M, 748 runs + 7W
Jasprit BumrahRight-arm fast bowler12 Cr14M, 21W, 7.45 ER19M, 28W, 6.86 ER
  • As always, Rohit Sharma will lead the MI team. He has been in good form recently but failed to score big on many occasions, and the good thing is that he bats with good SR in the powerplay.
  • Suryakumar Yadav “SKY” is the Mr. Dependable for MI. He has built his reputation to be the team's pillar over the last few years. SKY is the key batter for MI. If he continues his form from the Internationals, he can be among the top scorers of the IPL 2022.
  • Kieron Pollard is the backbone of MI's middle order, and he is the second pillar of MI's batting.
  • The premium fast bowler in the world of cricket right now is Bumrah. He has had a great form in Tests and T20s recently, and he is the crucial bowler for MI any day.

List of Indian players Mumbai Indians bought from the mega auction:

PlayerRolePriceIPL 2021 PerformanceSMAT 2021 Performance
Ishan KishanLeft-hand batter + WK15.25 Cr10M, 241 runs, 26.78 avg, 133.89 SR5M, 142 runs, 28.40 avg, 125.66 SR
Aryan JuyalRight-hand batter + WK20 L5M, 67 runs, 22.33 avg, 126.42 SR
Anmolpreet SinghRight-hand batter20 L1M, 16 runs, 16.00 avg, 114.29 SR10M, 68 runs, 17.00 avg, 109.68 SR
Rahul BuddhiLeft-hand batter20 L12M, 222 runs, 31.71 avg, 136.20 SR
Tilak VarmaLeft-hand batter1.7 Cr12M, 331 runs, 30.03 avg, 139.66 SR
Sanjay YadavLeft-hand AR50 L10M. 135 runs + 8W
Arjun TendulkarLeft-hand AR30 L2M, 3 runs + 2W
Hrithik ShokeenRight-hand AR20 L
Ramandeep SinghRight-hand AR20 L12M, 93 runs + 3W
Arshad KhanLeft-hand AR20 L
Jaydev UnadkatLeft-arm medium bowler1.3 Cr6M, 4W, 7.64 ER11M, 19W, 7.59 ER
Murugan AshwinRight+arm spin bowler1.6 Cr3M, 1W, 8.82 ER16M, 16W, 6.47 ER
Mayank MarkandeRight-arm leg-spin bowler65 L1M, 0W, 8.67 ER11M, 10W, 6.13 ER
Basil ThampiRight-arm fast bowler30L10M, 8W, 8.46 ER
  • Out of these 14 Indian players, the following will be playing in the squad most regularly:
    Ishan Kishan, Mayank Markande/Murugan Ashwin, Tilak Varma, Jaydev Unadkat.
  • MI filled their squad with a lot of left-hand all-rounders. This strategy of the left-right combination has worked well for MI in the past. But it seems like there is a lack of experience in the Indian domestic players.
  • The Indian left-arm pacer to play most in the IPL 2022 is J Unadkat. He had an excellent SMAT 2021 season, and he will come in handy against teams like RCB.
  • Tussel for Ishan Kishan was heated up in the mega auction. He will be the opening batter alongside Rohit Sharma, and he has been in decent form recently. He will also keep the wickets as he is the only option for WK in the team.
  • Mayank Markande is back in the blues for MI. He is the replacement for Rahul Chahar as a leggie in the team. Mayank and Ashwin are the two quality spin options for MI.
  • If Kishan fails to perform continuously, Tilak Varma might get a chance to bat at the top-order. He is a quality batter who can make runs with a reasonable strike rate.

List of foreign players Mumbai Indians bought from the IPL 2022 mega auction:

PlayerRolePriceIPL 2021 PerformanceT20 Performance in 2021
Dewald BrevisRight-hand batter3 Cr2M, 62 runs, 31 avg, 167.57 SR
Tim DavidRight-hand AR8.25 Cr1M, 1 run + 0W38M, 706 runs + 1W
Daniel SamsLeft-hand AR2.6 Cr2M, 6 runs + 1W16M, 214 runs + 19W
Fabian AllenLeft-hand AR75 L4M, 6R + 1W31M, 284 runs + 21W
Jofra ArcherRight-arm fast bolwer8 Cr6M, 7W, 7.61 ER
Tymal MillsLeft-arm fast bowler1.5 Cr27M, 38W, 6.97 ER
Riley MeredithRight-arm fast bolwer1 Cr5M, 4W, 9.94 ER21M, 26W, 9.14 ER

Out of eight overseas players, the following are most likely to get into the playing 11:
Kieron Pollard, Jofra Archer, Tymal Mills, Tim David/Dewald Brevis/Fabian Allen.

  • Kieron Pollard always plays. No matter what. He is the one savior for MI.
  • When Jofra Archer is fit and makes himself available for the IPL, he will inevitably be a part of the playing 11.
  • Tymal Mills gets entry into the playing 11 without any doubts. Because he is a left-arm fast bowler, MI's tradition is to play with a left-arm pacer. He replaces Trent Boult in the squad and has a crucial role on his shoulders.
  • The last overseas spot has 3 options. Fabian Allen seems to be the first choice because he provides a left-arm orthodox bowling option. He is a proper replacement for Krunal Pandya, and he can be used as a powerplay bowler on occasions.
  • If MI needs a batter, Tim David and Dewald Brevis “Baby ABd”  are the first two options, and Tim Davis seems like the first choice for the number 4/5 position.
  • MI has Riley as a backup to Jofra and Mills.

A Goldmine of Young Talent?

MI has so many young talented players that it seems like an inexperienced squad. But MI has a reputation for turning unknown players into the next-gen superstars. There are plenty of examples to support this claim. But it will be interesting to watch who gets enough chances to perform.

Ishan Kishan vs. Dewald Brevis:
Dewald Brevis has a reputation for being the hard-hitting batter. He is a number 3 batter, but MI may experiment with him as an opener. Ishan Kishan is likely to open with Rohit Sharma. But in case of poor form from Ishan, it is very reasonable that his batting position might change to lower-order.

Fabian Allen vs. Tim David:
Fabian Allen brings a left-arm orthodox bowling option with a decent batting option. On the other hand, Tim David is the destroyer batter who can bat at number 4/5 position, and Allen is more like a replacement to Krunal Pandya. It depends on the team management and pitch conditions.

Tilak Varma:
This left-handed batter is most likely to get picked up in the playing 11 because he provides a left-right combination in the batting order. He can bat at the number 4 position. Or even at the opening position. He had a great SMAT 2021 season, and it looks like MI found a gem from the mega auction.

Markande or Ashwin?
There is always a spinner in the MI squad. Usually a leg-spinner. Markande is the replacement of Rahul Chahar as a leg spinner. M Ashwin is the more versatile spin option because he can bowl both ways. M Ashwin can be useful on the slower pitches and flat pitches.

The Fast Bowling at Its Peak?

Here are the fast bowling options for MI:
J Bumrah, J Archer, T Mills, D Sams, R Meredith, and B Thampi.

All of those mentioned above can bowl at high 140kmph consistently. Even more fascinating is that they can bowl in the death overs. Each of them has a yorker as one of their vital skills.

The cricketing world is hyped and excited about watching Bumrah and Jofra bowl together. Both are world-class, fast bowlers. And it is the dream pair of fast bowlers any team would want, at least on paper.

Probable, Ideal, and Stable Playing 11 for Mumbai Indians:

Openers: R Sharma, I Kishan

Middle Order: SKY, T Varma

All-rounders: T David, K Pollard,

Bowlers: J Bumrah, D Sams/R Meredith/J Archer, T Mills, M Markande/M Ashwin, J Unadkat/B Thampi

Hidden players who can surprise: T Varma, F Allen, D Brevis, Sanjay Yadav.

 

Strength:

  • Strong core team
  • Experienced top order
  • Strong pace attack
  • Room to experiment
Weakness:

  • No off-spin options
  • Fewer spin backup options

 

Opportunities:

  • Talented young players
  • D Brevis, T Varma, M Markande, S Yadav, R Buddhi
Threats:

  • Too many options for death bowling
  • Lack of experienced spinners

The Verdict

On paper, Mumbai Indians are the most stable and most potent team. But it has always been that way in the last few years. Still, MI fails to perform up to their potential every other season of IPL. MI has an advantage over threatening teams like DC and RCB because of the venues. MI has one of the worst win % against DC and RCB. But DC has a very poor win % on these venues of IPL 2022. Home turf might help MI more than any other team.