Mumbai Indians (MI) will play under their new skipper Hardik Pandya in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). In the last three seasons, Mumbai didn’t look confident under Rohit Sharma following which the MI team management made the stern decision to sack their veteran player who won five trophies for them as a skipper.
The franchise traded Pandya for INR 15 crore from Gujarat Titans (GT), to reserve his services for the upcoming IPL season. Talking about their buys at the 2024 auction in Dubai, the MI-based outlet picked up eight players for a total sum of INR 16.70 crore.
Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, and Mohammad Nabi were some renowned names who were snapped up by the five-time IPL champions. After the blockbuster business event in Dubai, MI have formed a 25-member team. Watching their entire squad, let’s pick up players who will make their best XI for the upcoming tournament.
Here is the best playing XI of MI after the 2024 IPL auction
1. Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma won’t be seen as a skipper in the cash-rich league after 11 years. The veteran looked completely off-colour in the last two seasons and he will have to be among the runs in the 2024 edition to remain active in the league for the next few years. The 36-year-old has played a lot of cricket for MI but his ordinary performance has shaken the team’s confidence in him.
He will have to exude confidence as an opener in the Mumbai jersey in the 2024 IPL instalment. After witnessing his exceptional performance in the 2023 World Cup, Rohit might feature in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup team. Before the marquee international event, he will also look to have a great time with his bat.
2. Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan struggled in his initial matches of the 2023 IPL but got settled later and scored huge runs for the side. The southpaw amassed 454 runs in 16 matches of the 2023 IPL and ended up as the second-leading run-getter in the season. In the upcoming tournament, he will strive to come heavily on bowlers again in powerplay overs to deliver aggressive starts to the team.
The 25-year-old looked fine with his bat in the five-match T20 International (T20I) series against Australia in November-December. Playing three games, he scored 110 runs with two fifties at a strike rate of 144.73. In 2024, MI will expect their experienced stalwart to shine with his bat and help the team lift the coveted trophy after four years.
3. Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav can be considered the most credible player for Mumbai and his batting numbers also corroborate this fact. In 2023, he notched up 605 runs in 16 games at a breathtaking strike rate of 181.13 and ended up as the team’s most successful batter in the season.
In 2024, MI supporters will keep their expectations high from the 33-year-old. The star batter looks consistent with his bat in cricket’s shortest format. In the T20I series victories against Australia and South Africa, he produced some extraordinary knocks for India and grabbed a lot of attention.
4. Tilak Varma
Tilak Varma has done a fine job for MI in the last two years. The left-handed batter scored runs at an exceptional strike rate of 164.11 in the 2023 IPL. Talking about his overall numbers in the competition, he accumulated 343 runs in 11 games at a notable average of 42.87.
His superb IPL performance helped him get his maiden India call-up. In India colours, he has smashed two fifties of which one came against South Africa in Paarl. Varma’s responsibility will be to strengthen his team’s middle order in the 2024 IPL and he will look to do that efficiently.
5. Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya will feature in MI colours after three years and this time, he will be the skipper of the side. His addition will bolster MI’s batting unit as he is known for being a man of crisis. Along with Australia’s power-hitter Tim David, he also possesses the potential to play the role of a match-finisher.
With the ball, he will help Jasprit Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff, and Gerald Cortzee to strengthen the team’s fast-bowling unit. Pandya kicked off his IPL journey in MI in 2016. Serving the side until 2021, he racked up 1476 runs and 42 wickets in 92 contests. After three years, eyes will be set on Pandya again as this time, the 30-year-old will be in the leadership role as well.
6. Tim David
Tim David is known for his aggressive batting skills and his job will be to deliver fiery knocks to MI while batting in the lower middle order. His remarkable hard-hitting ability makes him one of the best finishers in the T20 circuit. In the previous IPL edition, he played some scintillating knocks for the side in intriguing games.
His strike rate was about 150 for MI for consecutive two seasons. The 27-year-old will have to do wonders with his bat in 2024. His recent numbers aren’t satisfactory but his endeavours will be to score some big runs in the 2023-24 Big Bash League (BBL) and 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) to go with confidence in the MI camp for the 2024 IPL.
7. Gerald Coetzee
In the 2024 IPL auction, MI purchased South Africa’s bowling all-rounder Gerald Coetzee for INR 5 crore. The speedster looked sensational in the 2023 World Cup, bagging 20 wickets in eight games at an economy of 6.23. With these numbers, he also ended up as the leading wicket-taker for the Protea side in the tournament.
His magnificent bowling display in the World Cup helped him pull off the lucrative contract from Mumbai in the auction. Coetzee has played only four T20Is but he has the experience of 42 T20s for Knights in South Africa’s domestic circuit. The 23-year-old will look to make his IPL debut memorable with his bowling.
8. Piyush Chawla
Piyush Chawla made a comeback in IPL again after two years with his appearance for MI in 2023. Representing Mumbai, the veteran did a marvellous job with the ball, clinching 22 wickets in 16 matches at an economy of 8.11. These numbers also made him the third-leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
In 2024, he will spearhead MI’s spin-bowling unit again. Ahead of the marquee competition, he couldn’t do much for his domestic side Gujarat in the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) but looked decent in the 2023-24 Vijay Hazare Trophy. In the domestic one-day competition, he scalped seven wickets in four matches at an economy of 4.71.
9. Dilshan Madushanka
Dilshan Madushanka’s brilliant bowling for Sri Lanka in the 2023 World Cup helped him fetch a contract from MI in the 2024 IPL auction. At the mega business event, he got picked up for INR 4.60 crore. The speedster grabbed 21 wickets in nine matches at an economy of 6.70 and ended up as the third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
Talking about his T20I numbers, the 23-year-old has piled up 12 wickets in 11 games at an economy of 9.80. He will look to grab the opportunity with both hands and become an asset for MI as his compatriot Lasith Malinga was once for the side.
10. Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah will return to the cash-rich IPL after two years. The paceman will spearhead Mumbai’s pace attack and he will be assisted by Coetzee, Behrendorff, and Pandya. The 30-year-old has claimed 148 wickets in 123 IPL matches at an economy of 7.40 and is the second-highest wicket-taker for Mumbai.
He is one of the most credible faces for Mumbai so the expectations will be extremely high from him for the 2024 IPL. After recovering from his back injury, the star India player did his job superbly for Team India in the multi-nation tournaments 2023 Asia Cup and 2023 World Cup.
11. Jason Behrendorff
Australia pacer Jason Behrendorff was MI’s key member in the 2023 IPL. In Bumrah’s absence, he did a fantastic job for Mumbai in some games. The pacer took 14 wickets in 12 contests at an economy of 9.21. In the upcoming IPL edition, he will have to form a formidable trio with Bumrah and Coetzee to serve the team exceptionally.
In the previous year, he lacked consistency with the ball so the team management will want him to be disciplined throughout the tournament. In the 2023-24 BBL, he has produced fire with the ball in some games for Perth Scorchers. MI fans will want the Aussie to be in his top form for their side in 2024 as well.
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