Mumbai Indians has no competition when you have to decide which is the most successful franchise in IPL. With five IPL trophies and two Champions League T20 victories, it will take a while for any other team to get close to MI. A team that has always boasted of champion cricketers, Mumbai has a win percentage of 58 in IPL. All of this has been possible due to the splendid rosters the franchise has had over the years. In this article, we take a look at the all-time best Mumbai Indians XI in IPL history.
Openers: Sachin Tendulkar and Quinton de Kock (WK)
The brand of Mumbai Indians was initially set up around Sachin Tendulkar. Even now, many MI fans are also hardcore Sachin fans. On the field, though, Sachin took a while to get going. He missed a part of the initial seasons due to injury. However, in IPL 2010, with 618 runs in 15 games, Sachin Tendulkar won the Orange Cap. Overall, the Master Blaster has added 2334 runs in MI colours.
Quinton de Kock has one of the best averages amongst MI batsmen. So far, the South African has struck 1187 runs in 34 games at a strike rate of 133 and an average of 34. He has been instrumental in Mumbai winning consecutive trophies recently. He has done all this while being almost flawless behind the stumps.
Middle-Order: Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma (C)
Although Ambati Rayudu has got more runs for MI, based on impact, we have Suryakumar Yadav batting at No.3 in this all-time best Mumbai Indians XI in IPL history. Even though he is relatively new to the franchise, SKY is currently the fifth-highest run-getter for Mumbai.
It is at No.4 that Rohit Sharma has played the most games for MI. While he has executed 86 innings at this slot, the next highest is as an opener, with 53 innings. Rohit enjoys a slew of records in IPL. He is the most successful player and captain, apart from being the highest run-scorer for MI.
All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya
In recent years, the domination of Mumbai has been built around clarity of roles given to the players, especially those in the middle-order. Also, the team has encouraged having multi-utility cricketers, which has helped the team’s overall balance.
Hence, for this all-time best Mumbai Indians XI in IPL history, we have three all-rounders. An uncapped talent when he started out, Hardik Pandya is currently a star all-rounder for Team India. All of this has been possible due to his performances in IPL. In 87 games so far, he has scored 1401 runs apart from collecting 42 scalps.
Partnering Hardik is an MI legend – Kieron Pollard. The West Indian has single-handedly won multiple games for the franchise. He is the second-highest run-scorer for MI, while also picking 63 wickets in 171 games.
The Player of the Match in the final of IPL 2017, Krunal Pandya, has contributed with 49 wickets for MI so far. However, it is timely responses with the bat which have been impactful for the franchise. Hence, he makes it to this XI.
Bowlers: Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mitchell McClenaghan
Back when IPL started, it was Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga around whom MI’s bowling attack revolved. Both being limited-overs specialists, MI could control the game with the ball on many occasions. The Top 2 wicket-takers of the franchise, while the Sri Lankan has collected 170 wickets in 122 games, Bhajji has figures of 127 wickets in 136 games. Malinga bowled with an economy of 7.14. And Harbhajan conceded only 6.95 runs an over in his MI career. Harbhajan also led the franchise to a Champions League T20 victory. Purple Cap winner in 2011, Malinga is still the highest wicket-taker in IPL.
Jasprit Bumrah graduated from being a raw talent to a superstar cricketer with his performances at MI. The M.O.M in IPL 2019 final, Bumrah so far has 115 scalps in 99 games. This number will surely increase in the coming seasons. Although expensive, Mitchell McClenaghan excelled in providing timely breakthroughs. In fact, with 71 wickets in 56 games, the Kiwi currently sits at No.4 in the franchise’s highest wicket-takers charts. Therefore, he is unmissable in this XI.
