IPL 2016: 5 things to expect from Mumbai Indians

The IPL has become a national festival for the people in India. Every year, while they look out for Diwali, Holi and what not, IPL has become one of those events that almost every Indian marks on his calendar.

And none more than the Mumbai Indians fans.

In the last three years, they have won the trophy twice and in exceptional fashion. Mumbai Indians aren’t one of those teams who start off blazingly. In fact, it is the opposite. After making poor starts in both their IPL winning campaigns, they went on to win the tournament in the most glorious of fashions.

They have made wholesome changes to the team along with the sponsors, with Reliance Trends' sportswear brand Performax designing jerseys for the team, which you can buy here. The Mumbai Indians will be looking to like to defend their title with all they got and here are 5 things we expect from them in IPL 2016:

Slow start

A slow start is something no teams like. However, for Mumbai Indians, slow starts seem to be their style as they have made slow starts in the majority of the IPL editions.

For example, in 2015, they lost 5 out of their 6 opening games, before winning 9 in their next 10 and winning the IPL trophy in the process.

In 2013, however, they started off well and won the tournament smoothly, unlike last year where they needed immense pressure to get running. Given that they have made some news signings and that some of their key players are out of form, it seems very likely that they will struggle to win games initially, but fans of Indians shouldn’t worry because Mumbai Indians sure do know how to make…

A comeback

Rohit Sharma is set to lead his team to another title defence.

If any team knows how to make a comeback, it is Mumbai Indians. Having completely turned their fortunes around midway in IPL 2015, they know what it takes to make a stunning comeback. It needs s special kind of attitude to do something like that and they sure do possess it.

No team has ever won a tournament without having to make a comeback, be it minor or major. For Mumbai, it is almost always major and that is why they are the king of comebacks. While conspiracy theorists will always smell something fishy, the truth is that the Mumbai Indians are just darn good at fighting back when their backs are against the wall.

Buttler brilliance

Jos Buttler in action for England

Jos Buttler is coming off a fine T20 World Cup. Well, he isn’t literally ‘coming’ since the World Cup was played in India, but you know what we mean.

Since he has already spent a lot of time batting on Indian surfaces, he actually wouldn’t need any time to settle down and could become a starter of the team from the word go. Or at least, he should.

The Mumbai Indians faithful will be counting on Buttler to provide the big shots and the Englishman is sure to give the team the firepower in the middle-order.

Nathu’s fury

Nathu Singh

When Munaf Patel appeared in the domestic circuit, many labelled him as the fastest bowler India ever produced. Nathu Singh’s trajectory has been somewhat similar.

Munaf was spotted at the MRF Pace Academy by an Australian legend, Dennis Lillee. Similarly, Nathu Singh was singled out for his fiery pace by an Australian legend, Glenn McGrath.

And now, just like Munaf before him, he plays for Mumbai Indians.

People might remember Munaf for being lazy and would hope that Nathu is nothing like, but what they should also remember is the fact that the former Bharuch express has won everything a player could wish for—the World Cup, the IPL as well as the CLT20—and played a key role in each of them.

And if Nathu Singh’s career follows a similar track, then the Mumbai Indians fans should be more than happy.

The speedy pacer has what it takes to strike fear into the hearts of batsmen and one can only hope that he isn’t asked to focus on line-length by forgoing pace—something which made the Indians pay so much money for him.

Young Indians making a mark

Jasprit Bumrah in action for the Mumbai Indians. (source: www.abplive.in)

From one glance, Mumbai Indians’ team wouldn’t look as endearing or fiery as the rest. A look at the roster of, say, Royal Challengers Bangalore, would instantly drop the jaws of fans. However, a closer look at the defending champions would reveal the true strength of this team.

And it is the strong base of young Indian talents.

They have Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah—two rising young stars of the country—along with Nathu Singh, Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Rana, Deepak Punia and Kishore Kamath, forming a formidable bunch of young Indian players who could make a difference.

Regardless of what happens in the tournament, one can be assured of the fact that Indian cricket, in general, will benefit from Mumbai Indians’ faith in youngsters.