One IPL side which has made it a habit of starting off slow but peaking just at the right moment in the tournament is the Mumbai Indians. A solid nucleus of players has made sure that Mumbai reached the playoffs in 8 of the last 10 editions, winning 4 of them.
They may be the most successful IPL franchise, but things weren't the same to start with. Despite putting forward a brilliant show each year, MI failed to get their hands on the silverware in the first 5 editions. Their fortunes turned around when Rohit Sharma took over as the skipper. They were crowned the champions in his very first season in charge and once Mumbai got the taste of success, they were hungry for more.
MI won the IPL every alternate year after that and are the defending champions. Apart from their captain, all-rounders form their core group. Pandya brothers and Kieron Pollard have single-handedly decimated oppositions on several occasions. India's premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will once again spearhead the pace attack and Mumbai has further strengthened it by roping in Trent Boult and Nathan Coulter-Nile. Though they will miss the services of IPL's highest wicket-taker Lasith Malinga who has opted out of this edition.
But the 4-time champions look a little weak when it comes to their spinners. Given the turning tracks in UAE, just Jayant Yadav and Rahul Chahar as front-line spinners may be an issue. Though Anukul Roy and Krunal Pandya are good 6th bowling options to have but the team can't completely depend on them.
Never the less, Mumbai have proved their critics wrong many times and they look too good of a side to not go a long way in IPL 2020.
