IPL 2022: 3 reasons why Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Indians might not win the title

The five-time champions, the Indian Premier League's (IPL) most successful team with the most robust setup, the most successful captain, and the most feared fast-bowler, Mumbai Indians (MI), start every IPL season as one of the favorites. But this year, it's a bit different.

In the discussions that followed the auction, the Mumbai Indians weren't among the experts' top three teams. They had a unique auction strategy which, though fascinating to watch, has left a few weaknesses in their team.

Below, we discuss three such points which they might need to work on to perform to the standards their fans expect from them.

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#1 Mumbai Indians don't have the usual quality in bowling

In IPL 2021, Mumbai Indians had a bowling attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile (among the third seamers, he played the most games), Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya. They shared 348 IPL wickets between themselves.

Their probable bowling attack this year consists of Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat, Daniel Sams, Mayank Markande and Tymal Mills. They share 237 wickets between them. Not only is there a glaring drop in experience but also an obvious one in quality.

What's more, the old bowling attack couldn't carry the weight of some poor batting last year. In a 10-team IPL 2022, the new group will have to bring their absolute best to compete against well-rounded and more experienced attacks.

With Boult gone and Jofra Archer unlikely to play this season, Bumrah lacks support in the fast-bowling section. Unadkat has been in and out of his previous IPL teams and the likes of Mills, Daniel Sams and Riley Meredith haven't been able to recreate their domestic form in the IPL so far.

Chahar and Krunal Pandya were a fine spin duo and Murgan Ashwin and Mayank Markande, despite being a good mix of experience and youth, can't be considered of the same level yet. On Indian pitches that are restricted to a few grounds with more than usual wear and tear, they will certainly miss a leader in the spin department.

Check out the IPL 2022 venue here.

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#2 Missing piece in the batting order

In another example of how Mumbai Indians have bore the brunt of the IPL's growth to 10 teams, their middle order isn't as settled as it used to be. While Tim David and Allen are almost like-to-like replacements for the Pandya brothers, they don't have anyone like the seasoned Saurabh Tiwari in the middle order.

Ishan Kishan used up the lion's share of the franchise's budget in the auction but will now bat at the top of the order alongside Rohit Sharma. In his absence, someone like Tiwari would have been a safe bet to bridge the explosive top and lower orders. But possibly due to reasons of form and age, they didn't go for him this time.

Now, the responsibility will fall on a youngster. The 23-year-old stylish right-handed batter Anmolpreet Singh, who has always been an exciting talent, is an option. Tilak Varma, 19, known as a clean-striker and a potential finisher, is another.

A young batter getting tested in one of the biggest IPL franchises isn't a bad option at all, with Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav also coming via similar routes. But No.4 or finishing are crucial positions that can make and break seasons. It's a gamble that Mumbai Indians will want to get right at all costs.

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#3 Workload management headaches

It's a T20 World Cup year and Rohit, Bumrah, Kishan and Yadav are all likely to be part of India's squad for the marquee tournament. Rohit and Bumrah are all-format players and will play a lot of cricket on both sides of the IPL, which will increase the risk of injuries and give rise to discussions about their workload management.

Mumbai Indians did well in the first half of IPL 2021. Their campaign was derailed in some way when Rohit and Hardik missed the first few games of the second half. The franchise was arguably more careful than usual with them considering the near-future requirements of the national team and ended up paying the price.

The same issue could reappear this year and could have a decisive impact on the Mumbai Indians' campaign.