Mumbai Indians have had a very interesting journey in the IPL over the last ten years. Bought by billionaire, Mukesh Ambani, all those years back, MI seemed to struggle in the initial years of the tournament, as the first two years saw them finish in the bottom half of the table.
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Things gradually got a little better, as MI started recruiting players that suited their team instead of just randomly picking world class players who did not fit in the side.
Eventually it was spontaneous decision that turned their luck, as injuries to both Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar forced them to give the captaincy reigns to a young Rohit Sharma.
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At the time, Rohit was still finding his feet in international cricket, as the Mumbai batsman was at the risk of being just another talented cricketer who did not have the aptitude to succeed at the highest level.
But MI and Rohit were a perfect match, as captaincy brought the best out of Rohit. The Hitman flourished in his new role, as he led Mumbai to three IPL trophies, with the last one coming in 2017.
Over the last decade, MI had a core group of players that were crucial to their success. The likes of Harbhajan Singh, Keiron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Ambati Raydu and Rohit himself were the nucleus around which the rest of the team was formed.
But most of these players are well past their prime, which is why MI will be releasing these players before the IPL auction.
According to reports, they will only retain Rohit and the Pandya brothers, as they look to build a new core group of players. Krunal Pandya is currently one of the best all-rounders in India, who has not yet got the chance to represent the national team.
Hardik meanwhile, is on the cusp of super stardom, as the Baroda all-rounder is well on his way to becoming one of the very best all-rounders in the game today.
With Rohit, Hardik and Krunal all set to be retained, we will now shift our focus to the IPL auction, and wait to see who will be the players that MI will want to bring back using the ‘Right To Match cards’.
