Mumbai Indians have had the luxury of fielding some of the best T20 cricketers around the world, who over the years, have been pivotal to the franchise record of five IPL titles. In our series of IPL’s all-time XI, we bring you MI’s star-studded line-up. Two years ago in 2020 MI paltan once again lifted the Ipl trophy for the 5th time. MI beat DC and won the game by 5 wickets to clinch their 5th title and became the most successful franchise in the history of IPL.
Crowned champions for the first time in 2013, MI have won the keenly contested tournament every alternate year since then and most of it is centered around a fixed core group of players. MI have had the luxury of fielding some of the best T20 cricketers around the world, who over the years, have been pivotal to the franchise’s record four IPL titles.
In our series of IPL’s all-time XI, we bring you MI’s star-studded line-up.
1. Sachin Tendulkar:
Right at the top is the great Sachin Tendulkar. Icon player for the Mumbai Indians, Tendulkar, after a quiet couple of seasons, roared to form in the third edition of the IPL, where he finished the tournament with the Orange Cap. His tally of 689 runs with five half-centuries was pivotal in guiding MI into the final, and even though the next year MI couldn’t quite replicate the same run, Tendulkar amassed 553 runs including his maiden IPL century – against Kochi Tuskers Kerala. In what turned out to be his sixth and the last edition of the IPL (in 2013), Sachin Tendulkar entertained with a knock of 48 against Kolkata Knight Riders that saw him hit Ryan McLaren for five boundaries in a row. The same year MI won their maiden IPL trophy giving Tendulkar a fitting farewell. He played 78 matches in which he scored 2334 with 13 50s and 1 century.
2. Lendl Simmons:
Remember the semifinal of the 2016 World T20, when a jet-lagged Lendl Simmons blew India out of the tournament with a whirlwind 82 not out? The match was played at the Wankhede Stadium, a venue Simmons is way too familiar with because he has spent most of his time with Mumbai Indians in his IPL career. In Simmons, MI found the opener they always wanted, and his innings up front provided MI with an early tempo almost every time. In his first season, Simmons averaged a solid 56.28 and scored 394 runs in eight matches with a hundred and three fifties. In 2015, when MI secured their second IPL title, Simmons was their leading run-scorer with 540 runs with six half-centuries. He scored 1079 runs in 29 matches with 11 50s and 1 century.
3. Rohit Sharma:
The skipper, the man whose elevation to captaincy turned MI’s fortunes around. Simply put, Rohit Sharma is the heart of the franchise, leading the team to record-five IPL triumphs. He was given charge of the team halfway through the 2013 season when after a poor start and battling his shaky form, Ricky Ponting stepped aside from captaincy. From there, MI not only recovered to win the title for the first time but also completed a double by lifting the Champions League trophy later that year. In the years when MI emerged champions – 2013, 2015, 2017 2019 and 2020. Rohit scored 538, 482, 333 and 405 runs, showing supreme leadership quality. Purely based on captaincy, Rohit deserves a place in the all-time XI, let alone the Mumbai Indians. His numbers for the MI read 3310 runs from 123 matches at a strike rate of 130.
4. Ambati Rayudu:
The Hyderabad-born batsman has been a vital cog in the Mumbai Indians line-up for 8 seasons of IPL. Rayudu’s situational awareness and ability to bail his team out of trouble have proved to be mighty effective for the MI. Rayudu’s figures for the MI are 2635 runs from 136 matches at a strike rate of 123. Ambati Rayudu has been a part of all Mumbai Indians' title-winning teams, in 2013, 2015 as well as in 2017.
5. Kieron Pollard:
Kieron Pollard has been with Mumbai Indians for a decade now. His performances in the 2009 CLT20 and the Big Bash made him one of the most sought-after players in the 2010 auction. After some aggressive bidding by the Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians managed to win a silent tie-breaker which made Pollard the joint highest-paid player in the 2010 IPL auction. He has been loyal to the franchise and has seen it all, whether they have been winning IPL trophies or they have had a poor season which led them to miss out on a playoff spot. Pollard scored 60* in just 32 balls in the 2013 IPL final as Mumbai Indians went on to win their maiden IPL title. he has been the biggest entertainer for the men in blue and gold smashing towering sixes and playing blitzkrieg knocks. Also, his presence at the boundary ropes is very assuring for MI fans. Pollard has scored 2846 runs from 145 games striking 146.
Also Read | All-time best RCB XI in Ipl history
6. Hardik Pandya:
Along with Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya has been Mumbai Indians’ most important player in the last 3 editions of the IPL. However now he is not part of MI paltan, he captained the Gujarat Titans this year and won the maiden IPL trophy in their debut season. However, he has scored 250+ runs in the last 3 seasons and taken 14+ wickets in the last 2 seasons. He was exceptional in the 2019 campaign as he scored 402 runs and took 14 wickets. In 2018, the Baroda all-rounder took 18 wickets, which was the highest by a Mumbai Indians bowler, even more than Jasprit Bumrah, which speaks volumes about how good an all-rounder like Pandya can be. In 2019, he took his batting to another level and proved himself as a real match-winner for Mumbai Indians. Hardik Pandya had a strong average of 44 in the 2019 campaign which is mind-boggling when you take into consideration he is not a top-order batsman. In 37 matches, Pandya has scored 406 runs striking 142 and picked 10 wickets with the ball.
7. Harbhajan Singh:
The veteran off-spinner has been an ace bowler in the Mumbai Indians bowling attack right from the first season of the IPL. He is known to dismiss the most dangerous batsmen in the opposition team at critical junctures of the game. Bhajji has taken 150 wickets in his IPL career, 127 of which came in a 10-year IPL stint with the Mumbai Indians wherein the off-spinner played 136 matches. He is the 3rd highest wicket-taker in IPL history, only behind Amit Mishra and former Mumbai Indians teammate Lasith Malinga. His most successful IPL season with the ball was the 2013 campaign where he picked up 24 wickets at a measly economy rate of 6.98 runs.
8. Mitchell McClenaghan:
The tall Kiwi fast-bowler has been Rohit Sharma’s go-to man since the 2015 edition of the IPL. McClenaghan has done everything that has been asked of him, right from taking crucial wickets to keeping the runs down. A hard trier with a big heart, Mitch has always given his best for the MI. In 40 matches, he has picked up 54 wickets. He took 18 wickets in his debut campaign as Rohit Sharma lifted the IPL trophy for the 2nd time. He followed that season by picking up 17, 19 and 14 in 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively. In his first four years, the Kiwi left-handed pacer managed to dismiss 68 batsmen in 51 matches.
9. Lasith Malinga:
If you look at the leading run-scorers in IPL history, there are a few batsmen who could overtake each other as there isn’t a huge difference in runs scored. But, Lasith Malinga has been the highest wicket-taker of the IPL for a decade. It’s astonishing how he has played 30-40 matches less compared to other leading wicket-takers, having missed an entire season and a few matches here and there due to injury, but he still has a 13-wicket lead in the list of all-time leading wicket-takers in IPL. Malinga has been the only player to have represented Mumbai Indians in some or other capacity since the start of the tournament. Malinga is the definition of consistency. He has only failed to cross the 15-wicket mark in 1 out of his 9 seasons at Mumbai Indians. His peak was in the 2011 campaign where he took 28 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 13.39 and a stingy economy rate of 5.95.
10. Jasprit Bumrah:
Jasprit Bumrah is another product of Mumbai Indians’ great scouting network. He was only 19 years old when Mumbai Indians signed him in the 2013 IPL auction and his uncanny action was the talk of the town when he faced Royal Challengers Bangalore in his debut match where he picked up 3 wickets. He is very similar to Malinga due to three reasons; specialist death bowler, unorthodox action and can bowl slow deliveries and yorkers almost at will. Bumrah has been one of the best bowlers in the last 4 seasons of the IPL as he has not only picked up 15-20 wickets in each season but his economy rate has been nothing short of unreal considering he is asked to bowl at the death.
11. Pragyan Ojha:
The Mumbai Indians acquired Ojha after a transfer from Deccan Chargers in 2012. Since then, he proved to be an integral part of the spin department during his stint with the MI. In 50 matches, he has picked up 40 wickets at an economy of 7.62. He was part of the Mumbai Indians team that won the title in 2013.
Must Read | All Time Best CSK XI in Ipl history
