IPL 2020: With the 13th season of Indian Premier League a few weeks away, there was a doubt over the possibility of the cash-rich league. The Indian government has decided to play the IPL without an audience on the ground to reduce the spread of coronavirus. The Government of India has also banned the Visa until 15th April to restrict the people to enter into India.
The overseas players can’t enter India if they don’t get the Visa. The IPL franchises are not interested to play the IPL 2020 without their overseas players. As a result, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to postpone the IPL which will now start from 15th April.
However, even if the government allows the overseas players to travel to India, the other cricket boards might not allow their players to participate in the cash-rich league. It would not be surprising if the IPL franchises are forced to play with the Indian cricketers only. But, we take a look at the Mumbai Indians team if their overseas players are available for IPL 2020.
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Aditya Tare
Undoubtedly Rohit Sharma is one of the best and destructive openers in the world right now. After Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, he’s the third-highest run-getter in the history of IPL.
Along with him the right-handed batsman Aditya Tare who is famous for his one ball glory when he smashed a six off Australian all-rounder James Faulkner in IPL-7 which helped his team to make it to the playoffs from nowhere. If the overseas players are not available for IPL 2020, Aditya Tare will partner Rohit Sharma at the top of the order as he has done this job before and done it effectively.
Middle-order: Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, and Saurabh Tiwary
The talented Mumbaikar Suryakumar Yadav is the best option at number three. In the previous edition of the cash-rich T20 league, Surya scored 424 runs in 16 games that he played at an average of around 33 with a strike rate of over 130. He is one of the few who can play as per the situation demands and can change gears if needed.
Ishan, the explosive wicket-keeper batsman, not consistency as Suryakumar Yadav but he can score runs at a brisk pace. Remembering his 62 off 21 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens where he sent Kuldeep Yadav’s four consecutive balls over the boundary.
Saurabh Tiwary the hard-hitting batsman will do the late hitting for his team. So, this could be MI’s middle-order if the overseas players remain unavailable for IPL 2020.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, and Jayant Yadav
The flamboyant Baroda all-rounder Hardik Pandya is a hero for Mumbai Indians and their fans. He has the ability to win the games single-handedly with his all-round performance. On his day, he can destroy any best bowling line-up in the world. In the last season, Hardik scored 402 runs at an average of about 45 with a strike rate of over 190.
Krunal Pandya, the elder brother of Hardik Pandya, always supported his team in crucial conditions with both the bat and ball. He can take wickets at crucial moments and can finish the game along with his brother. Jayant Yadav the off-spinner from Haryana, who can also bat in the lower order and will be very helpful for his team. He has just played 12 matches in the cash-rich league.
Bowlers: Rahul Chahar, Dhawal Kulkarni, and Jasprit Bumrah
Apart from Jayant Yadav and Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, the quality leg-spinner will be the leading spinner for his team. He made his IPL debut under MS Dhoni when he joined Rising Pune Supergiants in the 2017 season. Later he was brought by Mumbai Indians but didn’t get any chance. In the next edition, Rahuls played 13 games and picked up 13 wickets with the best bowling figure of 3 for 19.
Dhawal Kulkarni has not been a great death bowler but can give early breakthroughs with his swing and seam movement. So far, Kulkarni has grabbed 86 wickets in 90 games with the best bowling figure of 4 for 14. On the other hand, India’s No.1 bowler across all formats, Jasprit Bumrah, will lead the pace attack along with Kulkarni and Hardik.
His ability to bowl toe crushing yorkers and getting steep bounce off the turf made him the best death bowler in the world. If the overseas players remain unavailable for IPL 2020, Jasprit Bumrah will lead MI’s bowling attack in the absence of Lasith Malinga.
