IPL 2020: 3 factors that could help Mumbai Indians defend their title

#3 Best bowling line-up in the IPL

Jasprit Bumrah

If you have to name one side with the best bowling unit in the IPL, the unanimous choice would be Mumbai Indians. Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga have formed the most deadly opening pair in IPL history. Their toe-crushing yorkers are next to unplayable.

Both are big-match players too, as evident from their effort in last year’s final. While Bumrah was the man of the match for his sensational spell of 2 for 14, Malinga came back from a battering to concede only seven runs in the last over and pick up the wicket of Shardul Thakur to help Mumbai win the thriller by one run.

Bumrah finished IPL 2019 with 19 wickets in 16 games at a strike rate of 19.47. He has struggled for wickets since his international return from his stress fracture, but Mumbai will be confident of him being a force in the IPL this time as well.

Lasith Malinga

As for Malinga, he is still playing T20 cricket for Sri Lanka, and bowled an unplayable yorker to Andre Russell in the first T20I against West Indies at Pallekele. Although he was expensive last year, he still finished with 16 scalps in 12 games at a strike rate of 16.81.

Malinga and Bumrah have a good supporting cast too. The proven match-winner from New Zealand, Trent Boult, joins their ranks. Further, Dhawal Kulkarni, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell McClenaghan and young leg-spinner Rahul Chahar complete a formidable bowling line-up.