By Chaitanya Lekhwani
The defending champions of the biggest T20 cricket tournament went for utility than skillset and have ended up with a bevy of all-rounders but lack thoroughbred batsmen to provide them with a solid start at the top of the order.
Apart from Rohit Sharma, the batting lineup leaves a lot to be desired. Albeit the presence of Aditya Tare and Saurabh Tiwary will add some much needed style to the batting order, expect a lot of fireworks in the death overs from the Mumbai Indians with the likes of Kieron Pollard, JP Duminy and the Pandya brothers to name a few.
After a successful stint with the Indians, fantasy cricket favourite Lasith Malinga is no more the spearhead of the Men in Blue, with Jasprit Bumrah leading the charge along with Mustafizur Rahman, Pat Cummings and the bevy of all-rounders who will be sharing the burden of the bowling responsibilities as well.
Another veteran missing from the ranks will be Harbhajan Singh and his absence leaves a big
void in the spin department. Sri Lankan rookie spinner Akhila Dhananjay and youngster Rahul Chahar will be looking to step into the big boots of the ‘ Turbanator’ and who knows, with a unique squad what the Mumbai Indians will achieve in this season of the Indian Premier League.