The Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to get underway in around two weeks from now and fans are waiting with bated breath for the start of the T20 tournament. One team that would definitely want to come back strong this year will be the Mumbai Indians. Even though the Blue and Gold Brigade are one of the more consistent teams in the last few years, IPL 2022 was a complete for the as they finished last on the ten-team table.
Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has now analysed MI's squad prior to the start of the season. While he had high expectations from captain Rohit Sharma, he chose England speedster Jofra Archer as their trump card.
“Jofra Archer, one, definitely. I think Ishan Kishan after his debut for India in one-day cricket getting a double hundred, he will be somebody to watch out for as well. And I think Rohit Sharma will do something really special this season,” Gavaskar said Star Sports.
“Their biggest strength is obviously going to be Jofra Archer coming back, because Jofra Archer is a kind of bowler who can take you wickets at the start and who can bowl the overs, the final couple of overs where he can get the wickets and block the runs as well,” he added.
Spin combination MI's weakness: Gavaskar
Notably, MI will also be without Jasprit Bumrah who recently underwent a surgery in New Zealand and won't be able to recover in time for the competition. However, Gavaskar is more concerned about the spin combination of the team. He rated that their biggest weakness before the season.
“I think it would be perhaps the spin combination because they've really got a lovely new ball attack. The spin combination looks just a little bit light,” he said before picking Tim David as the game-changer of the team.
Mumbai Indians will begin their IPL 2023 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 2 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.