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The 5-time IPL champions, Mumbai Indians (MI) last won the title back in 2020. The last few seasons have been below average for them and they’ll be eyeing a strong comeback in the 2025 edition of the IPL.
They finished at the bottom of the table in IPL 2024 with only 4 wins in 14 games. They qualified for the playoffs in IPL 2023 but lost to the Gujarat Titans in the Qualifier 2. In 2022, MI was once again at the bottom of the table. They finished 5th in the 2021 season.
Last season was quite chaotic for MI as they brought back Hardik Pandya from the Gujarat Titans and also appointed him as the captain replacing Rohit Sharma. They received a lot of criticism from the fans for this move.
MI did well in the recently concluded mega auction for IPL 2025. They retained a strong core ahead of the auction and were smart with their buys covering all the bases in their squad.
Here’s the probable playing XI for the Mumbai Indians for IPL 2025
1. Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma has been pretty disappointing in the IPL, especially considering his high standards. He scored 417 runs in 14 matches last season at an average of 32.07 at a strike rate of 150 including one fifty and a century. He will be a key batter for MI at the top.
2. Will Jacks
MI picked Will Jacks in the mega auction. He’s a very aggressive batter who can turn the game on its head when on song. He played for RCB in IPL 2024. Jacks scored 230 runs in 8 innings at an average of 32.85 and a strike rate of 175.57 including a fifty and a hundred.
3. Suryakumar Yadav
Indian T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav is one of the best batters in T20 cricket. He’s a proven match-winner with the bat and is expected to bat at 3 for MI. He scored 345 runs in 11 games in IPL 2024. Suryakumar struck at a rate of 167.47 at an average of 34.50. He scored 3 fifties and a century.
4. Tilak Varma
Tilak Varma is having a great year with the bat. He did an excellent job in the series against South Africa last month. He’s one of the many finds of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Tilak can handle the spinners at a high strike rate in the middle overs.
5. Hardik Pandya (C)
Skipper Hardik Pandya will bat at 5 for MI. He didn’t have a great year with the bat last season but has found his mojo with the bat this year for India in T20Is. He’s one of the most destructive batters in world cricket and arguably the best all-rounder going around. A solid batter in the lower middle order for Mumbai who can bowl 3-4 overs on any given day.
6. Robin Minz (WK)
Mumbai picked up young wicket-keeper Robin Minz in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He hails from Jharkhand and is known for his six-hitting ability in the domestic circuit. He has played only 4 T20s in his short career and has a strike rate of 220. Robin is quite young but can be a great fit for MI down the order and allows them to play Will Jacks at the top.
7. Mitchell Santner
Mitchell Santner who was a part of the Chennai Super Kings since 2019 will now play for MI in IPL 2025. Santner is a wiley bowler who can bowl in any phase of the game. He is capable with the bat as well. He will solve MI’s issues in the spin attack in the last few years.
8. Deepak Chahar
MI also brought in Deepak Chahar who was a key bowler for CSK in the last few years. He has had some fitness issues but he’s an excellent new bowler and will thrive in the conditions at Wankhede. He has 77 wickets in 81 IPL games.
9. Allah Ghazanfar
18-year-old Allah Ghazanfar is the latest talk in the town. The Afghan spinner is a mystery bowler who mainly bowls with the new ball. He has plenty of variations and is handy with the bat as well. He picked up 6 wickets on his ODI debut against South Africa.
10. Trent Boult
Trent Boult is back with MI after spending 3 years with the Rajasthan Royals. Boult was the one the key players for in IPL 2020 when they won the title. He’s one of the pacers in world cricket and will bolster MI’s powerplay bowling. Boult picke up 16 wickets in 15 matches of IPL 2024 at an economy of 8.30.
11. Jasprit Bumrah
We don’t even need to tell you about Jasprit Bumrah. He’s by far the best pace bowler in world cricket in all three formats. He’s a proven match-winner and the best player in the IPL. Bumrah is capable of winning matches on his own. He picked up 20 wickets in 13 games last season at an economy of just 6.48 including a 5-fer.
Impact Sub: Naman Dhir
MI used the RTM on Naman Dhir over Nehal Wadhera. He is an aggressive batter who can bat anywhere in the batting order. He scored 140 runs in 7 innings in IPL 2024 at a strike rate of 177.21 at an average of 23.33 including a fifty to his name.
