IPL 2019: Mumbai Indians - the right mix of youth and experience

Pacers (10 - 11): Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah

Jason Behrendorff was the top choice for MI to bowl along with Bumrah in 2018, but he was injured.

Although all of Mumbai Indians and IPL fans would love to see Lasith Malinga feature in the team, his age and form do not seem to work in his favor.

In a team filled with right-arm fast bowling options, a left-arm pacer is needed to provide the necessary variety to the Mumbai Indians bowling attack. The MI squad has three such bowlers - Mitchell McClenaghan, Jason Behrendorff, and Barinder Sran. While McClenaghan and Sran have not been playing cricket on a regular basis due to a lack of form, Behrendorff has made his way to the Australian T20I side on the basis of his consistent performances.

While he is 28 years of age and made his Australia T20I debut in 2017, his experience of just 5 international matches makes him a relatively newer face on the international as well as the IPL scene.

His ability to swing the ball would help in getting crucial breakthroughs in the powerplay which MI's bowlers failed to do in the last season.

'Boom-Boom' Bumrah

There can be no limited-overs team in the world currently where Jasprit Bumrah wouldn't be a part of the playing eleven.

As far as IPL is concerned, he has been a consistent performer for the Mumbai Indians since the 2016 season and has only grown in stature and experience as the years have progressed. An exceptional fast bowler, he is as efficient in the powerplay overs as he is deadly at the death.

With Bumrah rounding off the playing eleven, the Mumbai Indians squad looks the right balance of youth and experience and continuing the tradition, 2019 could again be the year that they finish as the champions.

The balance of youth and experience give the Mumbai Indians the calmness as well as the hunger that is necessary to win a tournament of the stature of IPL.