Mumbai Indians (MI) predicted playing XI for their first game in IPL 2020

Much similar to the graph of IPL’s popularity, the graph of consistency, fame, and reliability of certain franchises has also only shot up. And one such is Mumbai Indians.

July 24^th, 2020 finally brought the scathing desire of all IPL-fanatics to an end as the IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel confirmed the dates of the long-awaited and extensively-delayed T20 league. The 2020 edition is set to commence on September 19 with the final likely to be played on November 10. The tournament, shifted in its entirety to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was postponed several times in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic prior to being postponed indefinitely.

There were speculations that even suggested a possible cancellation of the event altogether. However, after multiple meets of the Governing Council and the long-anticipated announcement of the postponement of the ICC T20 World Cup arriving last week, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ensured to capitalize on the new options.

In the 12-year history of the cash-rich league, this will be the third occasion when it will be held outside the boundaries of India. The second edition of the IPL was conducted in South Africa owing to general elections in India.

Due to the same reason, an initial leg of 20 matches was held in the UAE in the 2014 season. Inaugurated in 2008, IPL has gained incredible prominence over the world as arguably the finest short-format league of cricket and the graph of its craze has only gone upwards.

Much similar to the graph of IPL’s popularity, the graph of consistency, fame, and reliability of certain franchises has also only shot up. And one such is Mumbai Indians. The four-time-winners have been one of the trendiest sides in the history of the tournament. They occupied the services of some dazzling players this year at the auction and retained the correct ones as always.

Let’s take a look at what could their best probable XI be:

1. Rohit Sharma

The elegant opener and right-handed batsman has had a glorious run of success through his years in the IPL. A batsman as successful as any, Rohit has also played the role of captaincy to perfection. Under his leadership, the team has won as many as four titles in seven years and he has a win percentage of 58.65 per cent in 60 matches as a skipper.

Rohit, who has been India’s opener for over half a decade, used to open rather sporadically for his IPL franchise until 2018. However, in 2019 he became a regular in that slot and hasn’t looked back ever since. One of the most free-flowing batsmen, Hitman can run the game as per his whims once he gets going. He will certainly be opening the proceedings with a bang like last year.

However, MI is going to face an opening conundrum as the acquisition of Chris Lynn at the auctions this year has given them a potent option apart from Quinton de Kock in the opening slot. Given the consistency of Rohit Sharma as an opener, it is highly unlikely that he will be displaced to accommodate any other player.