Strengths

Comprising players with genuine all-round skills is one of MI’s strong areas. Captain Hardik Pandya aside, the franchise features all-rounders in the form of South African Corbin Bosch, England’s Will Jacks and New Zealand T20I captain Mitchell Santner.

Bosch’s yorker-length and slower deliveries can be effective in these conditions, and so can Jacks’ off-break, both of which were witnessed in the recent T20 World Cup. Their big-hitting ability in the death overs, particularly that of Jacks, will also benefit them.

Furthermore, Jacks’ uncomplaining nature even when asked to bowl in the Powerplay on belters, certainly makes him an asset for the T20 format. And he’s quite capable of picking up wickets with the new ball.

And then, there’s left-arm spinner Santner, who’s well and truly capable of making the ball talk if there’s just a semblance of assistance from the surface.

With the bat too, Santner is gritty and a pretty decent finisher as well. In their batting group, apart from senior pro Quinton de Kock, Tilak Varma’s growth in experience and maturity is another plus point for MI.

Tilak’s flexibility when it comes to batting at No. 3, or even in the middle order, makes him a team man and a reliable player. South African No. 3 Ryan Rickelton’s stroke play, too, is an advantage as he’s capable of making use of the Powerplay if required.

Not to forget, MI have the explosive West Indies middle-order batter Sherfane Rutherford in their ranks.

If Rutherford clicks, his relentless big hitting can take the side to a very strong position. Bowling-wise, the big names aside, 19-yearold Afghan spinner Allah Ghazanfar, who can bowl both leg and off-break, could be another element of surprise.

Weaknesses

Suryakumar Yadav has very recently entered his name among India’s World Cup winning captains, having led the country to its third T20 World Cup crown.

Not many questions can be raised over Surya’s tactical acumen or batting ability. But in all fairness, leaving alone the unbeaten 84 against the US in India’s T20 Cup opener, runs had again dried up for

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Surya. Obviously, he will be starting afresh in this IPL, with captaincy not being his responsibility here, but there could be a bit of pressure on the 35-year-old batsman. MI had utilised Rohit Sharma as their Impact Player on most occasions last year. Will there be a status quo on that?

Also, Rohit just plays the 50-over format now, and if he’s found to be edgy and shaky in the first four five games and MI don’t fare well in those, what should be the team’s stance towards a player of such stature?

That would be a tricky call. MI also need to be cautious about their utilisation of Kiwi left-arm pacer Trent Boult. His experience is unquestionable, but in his last competitive tournament — the SA20, where he represented MI Cape Town — Boult managed only eight wickets from 10 matches at an economy rate of 9.82.

So, will MI continue with Boult as one of their new-ball bowlers?

X-factor

Skipper Hardik continues getting sharper and is gradually taking himself to a level where he can contribute in all four aspects of the game — batting, seam bowling, fielding and leadership.

By leadership, it doesn’t only mean captaincy, but even his pep-talks inside the dressing room can help in bringing the best out of certain players. His ability as both finisher and builder of the innings aside, Hardik, at present, can also begin proceedings with the ball and strike immediately.

Then there’s Jasprit Bumrah, perfection personified. Even Bumrah’s slower delivery contributes to his incisive bowling alongside his searing yorkers and the hard lengths he’s capable of hitting consistently.

The squad

Prominent names: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Tilak Varma, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Sherfane Rutherford, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks, Allah Ghazanfar, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande

Others: Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Danish Malewar, Ashwani Kumar, Atharva Ankolekar, Raj Bawa, Mohammed Izhar, Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat

Best finish: Champions in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 & 2020

Last year: Lost in Qualifier II