Mumbai Indians' all-time best XI in IPL history

2. Lendl Simmons

Partnering Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the order is Trinidadian batsman Lendl Simmons. He was signed in April 2014 mid-way through the campaign as a replacement for Jalaj Saxena. He went onto score 394 runs in just 8 games for Mumbai Indians in that season at an astonishing average of 56.28.

Prior to his signing, Mumbai Indians had lost 4 games on the trot but he managed to improve the team’s fortunes to some extent as they managed to make a late entry into the playoffs by beating Rajasthan Royals in what became one of the most iconic IPL games of all time. Although he didn’t have a great outing against Rajasthan Royals in that match, his record throughout the season speaks for itself.

Mumbai Indians tried replacing Simmons by acquiring the services of Aaron Finch prior to the 2015 season but he got injured and once again Lendl Simmons got a chance to prove himself. The Windies batsman scored a total of 540 runs in 13 matches in the 2015 edition of the IPL. His contributions at the top of order along with Parthiv Patel were invaluable to the team and they went onto win the title that year. He had a quiet 2016 campaign as he was replaced by Jos Buttler.