Sachin Tendulkar on the field and the Ambanis off it, Mumbai Indians were never short of stars, but a big component of stardom was missing. The IPL title was eluding them. Their prayers were answered last season when Rohit Sharma replaced Ricky Ponting as captain and the team went on to win 10 of its last 13 matches. The move worked wonders as they won the Champions League as well.
An analysis of their winning formula reveals they had a strong batting combination around Rohit which set up big targets and chased with equal efficiency. Dwayne Smith set a terrific pace at the start and Dinesh Karthik sustained the tempo in the middle before Rohit and Kieron Pollard provided the finishing touch. In bowling, Laith Malinga formed a deadly duo with Mitchell Johnson, backed up by the spin combine of Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh.
Things have changed this season. While MI retained Rohit, Pollard, Malinga and Harbhajan and bought back Rayudu and Ojha, they lost three key players in Smith, Karthik and Johnson. Mike Hussey and Corey Anderson are the notable new buys and with the 2014 season approaching, it's time to look at the team and the dynamics in each department.
Rohit is expected to open and if the team opts for a foreigner upfront, Hussey should be his partner. Both are proven performers, but the absence of Smith will be felt. This West Indian used to get them off to breezy starts which allowed others some time at the crease before accelerating towards the end. While that will be missed, Karthik is another big name missing. His enterprise and ability to produce shots not seen in the coaching manual unsettled bowlers and it remains to be seen if Rayudu succeeds in filling in this gap. They do have Anderson and Pollard, but when it comes to Indians, the middle order looks weak because Rayudu is the only one there capable of handling big names in big matches.
The equation in bowling is simpler, although Johnson leaves a huge void. Malinga will spearhead the attack with Zaheer Khan. Harbhajan and Ojha pick themselves and with the pacers, they make the attack formidable in both departments. As back up, Mumbai can choose from medium pacer Jaspreet Bumrah, who was impressive last season. As far as all-rounders go, they won't have Rishi Dhawan this time apart from Smith, who could bowl a few overs as well.
So while the bowling looks versatile with spinners and fast bowlers of different kinds, Mumbai don't look as formidable in batting and all-round ability. Smith's starts will be missed as will be Karthik's enterprise. The biggest challenge will be to get Indians to deliver as apart from Rayudu and Aditya Tare to an extent, they don't have players with the experience of doing well against class attacks.
“They have bought Hussey and Anderson, but Smith and Karthik were terrific last season and it remains to be seen how their replacements perform. Among Indians, Aditya Tare is a capable guy but the same can't be said of others. In all, Smith, Karthik and Johnson are big losses. Let's see what strategy the team adapts,” said Mumbai batsman Wasim Jaffer.