Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will start their IPL 2023 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Rohit Sharma and Co. will be under pressure to overcome the ghosts of last season when they finished at the bottom of points table. MI failed to find the right balance during the initial few matches of IPL 2022 which led to their downfall but the inclusion of players like Cameron Green and Jofra Archer may change things for them this time around.
Also Read: Delhi Capitals Team Preview For IPL 2023
Green hit the pay dirt as MI went all out for him and signed him for whopping a Rs 17.50 crore. While Archer was bought by MI during IPL 2022 mega auction but he missed last season due to injury. The premier English pacer is set to make his MI debut this season and will lead their pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah who underwent back surgery recently and is out of competitive cricket for the next few months.
Mumbai have a balanced batting line-up this season with a good mix of Indian and International stars – Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Cameron Green, Tim David, Dewald Brevis and Tristian Stubbs. It will be extremely crucial for the team management to get their overseas picks right. Spin bowling remains a slightly weaker department for the most-successful IPL franchise as they don’t have a big name to lead the attack with Kumar Kartikeya expected to be the first-choice spinner.
How They Fared Last Time
MI had a forgettable IPL 2022 as they finished 10th on the points table with just four wins in 14 matches. Skipper Rohit failed to live up to the expectations and scored just 268 runs in 14 matches and it was the first time when he failed to register a fifty in an IPL season. They also lacked a killer instinct in the bowling attack as Bumrah was the only genuine wicket-taking option in the line-up which allowed the opposition to attack in the remaining 16 overs of the match.
Top Players to Watch Out For
Suryakumar Yadav: The number 1 ranked T20I batter has been in tremendous form in the shortest format, having scored three centuries in the last one year. The new Mr 360 degree didn’t play all the matches for MI last season which left a big hole in their batting line-up. SKY played 8 matches in which he scored 303 runs at a healthy average of 43.29. To reclaim the glory, Mumbai would want Suryakumar to go all guns blazing this season.
Jofra Archer: The leading English pacer missed last season and will be raring to go this time around. The onus will be on him to lead the pace attack as Mumbai will miss the services of Bumrah. Archer has claimed 46 wickets in 35 matches in the three seasons he played for Rajasthan Royals in the past. MI will want him to replicate the performances or even improve on them.
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Cameron Green: All eyes will be on the new million-dollar baby of MI. It just took Green three innings in Indian conditions to break the bank in the IPL auction. Mumbai went after him to replace Hardik Pandya who they released last season. The Aussie all-rounder belted 118 runs in a three-match T20I series against India last year before the 2022 T20 WC.
Strongest Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, Tim David, Arshad Khan/Arjun Tendulkar, Kumar Kartikeya, Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff, Shams Mulani
Full Squad
Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Jofra Archer, Tim David, Mohd Arshad Khan, Ramandeep Singh, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Tristan Stubbs, Kumar Kartikeya, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal, Cameron Green, Jhye Richardson, Piyush Chawla, Duan Jansen, Vishnu Vinod, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Raghav Goyal, Jasprit Bumrah (Injured)
Mumbai Indians Full Schedule
- April 2, 2023 – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians, Bengaluru
- April 8, 2023 – Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai
- April 11, 2023 – Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians, Delhi
- April 16, 2023 – Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai
- April 18, 2023 – Sunrisers Hyderabad v Mumbai Indians, Hyderabad
- April 22, 2023 – Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings, Mumbai
- April 25, 2023 – Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians, Ahmedabad
- April 30, 2023 – Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai
- May 3, 2023 – Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Mohali
- May 6, 2023 – Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Chennai
- May 9, 2023 – Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai
- May 12, 2023 – Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Titans, Mumbai
- May 16, 2023 – Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians, Lucknow
- May 21, 2023 – Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai
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