In this article, we offer you our SWOT analysis of the Mumbai Indians (MI) following the IPL 2025 Mega Auction.
Strength
Similar to last season, the Mumbai Indians have one of the best playing XIs on paper. With their retentions, they have arguably the best Indian core in the league, period.
The trio of Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Suryakumar Yadav will be key to any formidable total the MI put on the scorecard, while the likes of Will Jacks, Hardik Pandya, and Naman Dhir will provide the firepower lower down the order.
The MI have also done well to strengthen their fast-bowling department and provide able support to Jasprit Bumrah. The addition of Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar will give them quality new-ball bowling, something they struggled with last season, while also releasing Jasprit Bumrah to control the middle and death overs.
Weakness
Just like last season, the MI look light in the spin department. They’ve done well to get hold of the Afghan mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar for INR 4.8 crore, with the young 18-year-old making waves around the globe with his national team. They’ve also done well to get a hold of Mitchell Santner as a backup to Ghazanfar.
However, with the MI lacking depth in the wicketkeeping department, we could see South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton opening the batting alongside Rohit Sharma, leaving only the 37-year-old Karn Sharma as their lead Indian spinner. Playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sharma went for over ten runs per over in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
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Opportunity
Mumbai’s wicketkeeper scarcity will present itself as a great opportunity to both Ryan Rickelton and Robin Minz to cement their places as bankable assets in one of the toughest T20 leagues in the world.
Being more experienced and a South Africa international, it’s likely the MI management will go with Rickelton as their first-choice keeper. The 28-year-old had an excellent SA20 last year and followed it up with another strong showing in the CSA T20 League. However, he has since struggled to cope with the pressure of international cricket and produced sub-par performances.
Moreover, when playing in low, turning wickets, the MI may look to add a second quality spinner in Mitchell Santner to the lineup, opening the door for someone like Minz, with Will Jacks, Trent Boult, and Allah Ghazanfar as the other three overseas players.
Another young talent who could benefit from the current MI setup is Punjab’s Naman Dhir. The 24-year-old showed glimpses of what he’s capable of last season with an unbeaten 62 off 28 balls against the Lucknow Super Giants and a 30 off 14 against the SunRisers Hyderabad. With his ability to bat anywhere across the batting order, Dhir is likely to play a key role as a floater in this MI playing XI this year.
Threat
Despite their strong playing XI, the current MI team lack depth in various key positions. They do possess some exciting young prospects, though there isn’t one experienced player who stands out.
Although some of the international backups like Reece Topley and Lizaad Williams add depth to their bowling department, the MI lack experience and depth in their Indian backups.
In order to make it to the playoffs, the Mumbai Indians will need the likes of Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah to remain fit throughout the season and be at their best, which wasn’t the case last season.
Probable XII: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Will Jacks, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Allah Ghazanfar, Karn Sharma (Impact Sub)
Prediction: 10th
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