IPL 2017: Mumbai Indians (MI) Probable Playing XI

Bowlers

Bhajji has been playing for Mumbai since the inception of the IPL

Harbhajan Singh

Arguably one of the best spin bowlers to have ever played for India, Harbhajan Singh has been a vital cog in the Mumbai Indians line-up ever since the inception of the IPL.

He was even the captain of the side for a couple of years and took the team to their first ever Champions League T20 title when they defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011. At the age of 36, he still continues to be their go-to bowler and has proved to be successful with the bat as well.

He is one of the few cricketers who has played only for one single team having played 125 matches for Mumbai. He has picked up 119 wickets at an average of 26.21 and an economy rate of 7.

Jasprit Bumrah

Along with Hardik Pandya, he too made it into the Indian T20 side after impressive performances in the IPL.

The Baroda lad, with an unusual, jerky action bowls with deadly accuracy, and, most importantly, has the most important ball for this format in his arsenal, a deadly yorker.

He performed decently well in the 2014 edition but failed to impress in 2015 as he played only 4 matches and conceded runs at a rate of 12.26 per over. However, he completely transformed himself in last year’s edition and ended up with 15 wickets in 14 matches at an economy rate of below 8.

One of India’s best T20 bowlers, he will look to form a deadly partnership with Lasith Malinga once he returns from the series against Bangladesh.

Mitchell Mccleneghan

Despite having an economy rate of above 8, Mitchell Mccleneghan has proved to be an extremely effective bowler by taking wickets at regular intervals.

Having made his IPL debut in 2015, he played a vital role in Mumbai winning the crown that year. In the 26 matches he has played so far, he has taken 35 wickets at an average of 23.48 and a phenomenal strike rate of 17.20.

However, when Malinga makes his return, it will be extremely interesting to see who takes the field. We could also see both Mccleneghan and Malinga play with one of the batsmen or all-rounders sitting out and that would mean an extremely potent bowling attack for the Indians.

Final Playing XI

Parthiv Patel (wk), Lendl Simmons, Rohit Sharma (captain), Ambati Rayudu, Jos Buttler, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Mccleneghan