IPL 2018: Pre-tournament Best XI for Mumbai Indians

The 11th edition of the Indian Premier League is just around the corner and the excitement is getting bigger with each passing day. The auction attracted a lot of eyes as hundreds of players went under the hammer. While some teams opted to go for an altogether new squad, the defending Champions Mumbai Indians were focussed on retaining the core. The 3-time Champions had already retained the skipper Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah before the auction and managed to get back Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya using the RTM Cards. Apart from that, there were some quality additions in the auction that make the MI squad a pretty strong one.

Let's take a look at the pre-tournament best XI for Mumbai Indians

#1 Ishan Kishan

The talented left-hander has impressed a lot with his flamboyant batting skills. Playing for Gujarat Lions in the last couple of years, he played a few eye-catching knocks. Ishan had promised a lot when he led the Indian Under-19 team in 2016 but somehow he hasn't been able to establish a big name for himself. But a selection in the Mumbai Indians camp could just be the turning point in his career. The franchise promotes young talents and they are the most successful team in the history of the league. The added responsibility of donning the gloves could make Ishan feel like belonging to the camp.

#2 Evin Lewis

The explosive opener from the Caribbean is perhaps the next big thing of Windies cricket. While Chris Gayle's hard-hitting abilities keep diminishing with the age, Evin Lewis keeps taking leaves out of his senior's book to fill his place. He may not be as strongly built as Gayle but can match him when it comes to parking the ball into the crowds. Lewis was expected to be one of the big buys of this year's auction but Mumbai Indians bagged an absolute steal-deal at INR 3.8 crores for the explosive opener. If he gets going early in the tournament, he is certainly going to become the new Wankhede crowd-favorite.

#3 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma, ever since he started captaining the Mumbai Indians, has witnessed a massive turnaround in his career. He earned a prominent place in the Indian team and reached great heights. The Mumbaikar led the franchise to 3 IPL titles, the most by any captain. He is undoubtedly up there when it comes to the best in the history of the T20 league. Even though he opens the batting for India in limited overs cricket, he prefers to walk in at No.3 or No.4 for MI. That is because the whole innings revolves around the skipper. He plays according to the situation and can drop the anchor or up the ante big time if required. The right-hander has recently found his form back in the Nidahas Trophy and would look to carry that in the IPL too.

#4 JP Duminy

Mumbai Indians had another economical purchase when they bought the South African all-rounder JP Duminy for just INR 1 crore. He has played for MI in the past and it's like a homecoming for the left-hander. There is no shortage of experience with Duminy as he has seen it all in international cricket as well as in the IPL. Just like Rohit Sharma, Duminy too can do the holding job as well as accelerate when needed. With Rohit and Duminy in the middle-order, MI possess a strong an experienced batting line-up. Not just with the bat, Duminy can be a handy bowler also with his canny off-spinners.

#5 Krunal Pandya

When Krunal Pandya's name was up for auction, a bidding war started amongst 3 franchises and finally, Royal Challengers Bangalore won the competition with the bid of INR 8.8 crores. But when Mumbai Indians were offered the option of RTM, they didn't waste even a second in taking him back. They were prepared to go the extra mile for Krunal and why not, he was the standout performer for the franchise last year. The left-hander was the Man of the Match in the final last year for his magnificent knock under pressure that bailed the side out of trouble to take them to a fighting total. His explosive batting prowess is second to none, and add to that the left-arm spin which makes him a complete package for the shortest format of the game.

#6 Kieron Pollard

Just like Krunal Pandya, the Mumbai Indians were prepared to use the RTM for Kieron Pollard too as they stole the fiery all-rounder from Delhi Daredevils. Ever since Pollard playing in the IPL, he has been an integral part of the MI camp and franchise haven't let him go in the last decade. There has been a marked downfall in his bowling as he has hardly bowled in the last 2 seasons but he is still as good a finisher as he was in the past. He has won numerous matches for the team batting down the order and MI would hope that he continues to do the same in 2018 as well.

#7 Hardik Pandya

Indian cricket's latest sensation - Hardik Pandya was the second retention by the franchise. Considering his brilliant performance for Mumbai Indians in the last 2 seasons, he was an automatic selection for the retention. Playing for MI in the IPL is where he got the recognition and the all-rounder went on to make it big at the highest level. His striking power makes him an ideal foil for the lower middle-order. Alongside Pollard, he forms a formidable finishing pair that can absolutely torment the opposition at the death. Not just with the bat, the kind of improvement he has shown in his bowling in the recent times, he could well prove to be a regular 4-overs bowler for Rohit Sharma.

#8 Jasprit Bumrah

The rise of Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian contingent in the last couple of years has been one wonderful story. Coming to the fore by representing MI in the IPL, he was just a pacer with a weird action and from then on, he went on to become the best death bowler in the world. He has played instrumental roles in his side becoming the IPL Champions in 2015 and 2017. Bumrah was the third player to be retained by MI for INR 7 crores. Had he gone into the auction, he certainly would have bagged a lot more. MI got an absolute steal-deal with Bumrah and they would hope for a repeat of his outings in the previous editions.

#9 Pat Cummins

The Australian pacer will be donning the Mumbai Indians colors in this edition of the IPL. He will be heading to the MI camp from Delhi Daredevils where he played last year. Cummins is a quality fast bowler who bowls the heavy ball at a serious pace. The Mumbai-based franchise now has a great pace bowling attack with Bumrah and Cummins. Although Cummins hasn't played a lot of IPL cricket and has featured in just 16 games, he has a handful of international experience. Recently, he has been in a great form as he ended the Ashes series as the highest wicket-taker. He is good with the new ball and also possesses a few tricks up his sleeves for the slog overs.

#10 Rahul Chahar

Mumbai Indians were always served by the quality spinner - Harbhajan Singh since the inception of the IPL. But this year, the veteran off-spinner won't be seen in the blue color. He was claimed by Chennai Super Kings which leaves a huge void to be filled. When it comes to the spin department, MI would rely on Krunal Pandya alongside Rahul Chahar. Rahul, the leg-spinner represented the last year's runners-up - Rising Pune Supergiant. He has played just 3 IPL games so far and whether or not he makes it big this time, remains to be seen.

#11 Pradeep Sangwan

The final place of the pace bowling department could be filled by Pradeep Sangwan. After playing for Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Lions, he makes his way to Mumbai Indians. The 27-year-old would cherish the opportunity of being in the winners' camp. He has got good variations in his bowling but he needs to be a good backup for Bumrah and Cummins as the opposition batsmen are most likely to target him. For more such interesting content, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

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IPL 2018: Pre-tournament Best XI for Mumbai Indians

#2 Evin Lewis