SWOT Analysis, IPL 2024: Can Hardik Pandya Guide Mumbai Indians To Sixth Title? | Cricket News

The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to get underway in a few days with fans eager to see their favourite franchises back in action. Mumbai Indians (MI), one of the most successful franchises in the competition’s history, will be gearing up for a fruitful season under their new captain Hardik Pandya. Last year, Mumbai Indians reached the Playoffs but a quick-fire hundred from Gujarat Titans’ Shubman Gill in Qualifier 2 helped them beat the Rohit Sharma-led MI.

MI under Rohit’s leadership became IPL heavyweights with five title triumphs in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.

The Mumbai-based franchise has struggled to recreate its past glory in recent years after losing their core group of players featuring Quinton de Kock, Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult, and the Pandya brothers.

In November 2023, MI traded all-rounder Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an all-cash deal through the trading window. This transaction provided the necessary funds for MI to finalize another all-cash deal with Gujarat Titans (GT) to acquire the services of Hardik Pandya.

The five-time IPL champions entered the mini-auction with one of the smallest purses in the room – 17.75 crore. MI’s think tank, however, got their permutations and combinations right as they acquired the services of Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Mohammad Nabi, and Nuwan Thushara for reasonable prices.

According to the two-week schedule announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), MI will play their tournament opener against last season’s runners-up Gujarat Titans on March 24 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

As MI prepare for a new season under a new skipper, let’s take a look at their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Strength

With the likes of Rohit, Hardik, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Jasprit Bumrah in the squad, MI’s Indian contingent looks solid on paper. They also have domestic talents in Nehal Wadhera and Akash Madhwal, both of whom made their presence felt last season.

Jasprit Bumrah is all set to lead MI’s bowling attack this season after missing last season with a back injury. He has been in great form of late and will be confident after wreaking havoc in the five-match Test series against England. Bumrah has been with MI for a decade now and has scalped 145 wickets in 120 games at an economy of 7.4.

Furthermore, the addition of Coetzee and Madushanka will strengthen MI’s pace battery which already boasts the likes of Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff, and Madhwal.

Weakness

Piyush Chawla made a dream comeback last year with MI as he picked up 22 wickets in 16 innings at an economy of 8.11. But the veteran spinner hasn’t been seen in competitive action since late last year and it will be interesting to see how MI fare if Chawla fails to deliver with the ball.

They do have a backup option in Shreyas Gopal but the Karnataka spinner is yet to make his mark with MI. Young domestic talents like Kumar Karthikeya, Nehal Wadhera, and Shams Mulani can provide a few overs of spin bowling even though they lack Chawla’s experience.

Opportunities

The appointment of Hardik Pandya as Mumbai skipper received mixed reactions but there’s no doubting his captaincy pedigree.

Hardik made his IPL debut in 2015 with MI and played a pivotal role in the franchise’s success over the years. What will be interesting to see though is how Rohit fits into his new role once Hardik takes charge of the five-time champions.

Hardik enjoyed a memorable stint as Gujarat Titans’ skipper and won 22 out of 31 matches in the last couple of years. Under Hardik’s leadership, GT played two successive finals and won their maiden title win in 2022.

Ishan Kishan is another player who will be eyeing a good season in 2024, considering a spot in Team India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA is up for grabs.

Threat

Former MI captain Rohit Sharma endured his worst-ever IPL season in 2022 as he amassed 268 runs in 14 games. Even his 2023 season didn’t go as well as he’d like as he managed to score 332 runs in 16 matches.

Rohit, in fact, hasn’t had a remarkable IPL season since 2016 as he’s been averaging in the 20s for the past seven years. It remains to be seen if we’ll see the Rohit of old once he takes to the field this year.

Another aspect MI might be wary about is the fact that the IPL heavyweights will play their home games at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, which offers no respite for bowlers. How MI manage their inexperienced bowling pack of Coetzee, Madushanka, and Thushara on their home ground will be something to keep an eye on.

Probable Playing XII

Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Tilak Varma, Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, Dilshan Madushanka, Akash Madhwal (impact sub)

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)