IPL 2020: 3 reasons why Mumbai Indians can win it 

The IPL 2020 auctions came to an end this week and we now know all the squads, heading into the new season. Just a mere look at the squads will tell you how competitive next year's competition is going to be and it would be great practice before the ICC T20 World Cup in October next year.

We are here to talk about the defending champions, the 4-time IPL winners - Mumbai Indians (MI). The Rohit Sharma led side will be gunning for another successful season this year and they made some smart purchases in this year's auctions.

Chris Lynn and Nathan Coulter-Nile were the big buys from the defending champions, while Saurabh Tiwary, Mohsin Khan, and Balwant Rai Singh were the inexpensive buys. MI have always been renowned for their ability to unearth Indian talent. Rahul Chahar was the one who came up with the goods last season and will the trend continue next season? Only time will tell. Here, we are going to take a look at the three reasons why MI look the most convincing side heading into IPL 2020.

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#3 Quality back-up options

Mumbai Indians had a great time at the auctions

The IPL is not your average T20 tournament, it's a proper league that goes on for roughly two months. Hence, it is almost mandatory to have big squads and back-ups for your star players.

The thing is, Mumbai Indians don't just have back-ups for the sake of it, they have some real quality on their bench. The likes of Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Shefrane Rutherford, Mitchell McClenaghan, Dhawal Kulkarni, etc, are the players that will not play every game and yet, some of those overseas players will easily fit into the starting XI of other sides.

MI came into the auctions for IPL 2020 with a clear plan - to sign quality back-ups for a squad already full of superstars and the management did a brilliant job at that. If Lasith Malinga gets injured, Coulter-Nile can replace him, Boult has a replacement in McClenaghan, while Quinton de Kock has a replacement in Chris Lynn. The same can be said about almost everyone in this incredible squad, with only Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya are the exceptions.

#2 Confident and settled core XI

The Pandya brothers are indispensable to this side

MI's probable starting XI selects itself. Before going on, let's take a look at them. Rohit Sharma (Captain), Quinton de Kock (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Trent Boult, Lasith Malinga, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah.

Look at that XI and try to find a weakness. Sharma and de Kock at the top can be destructive, Suryakumar and Ishan form a strong upper middle-order, while the Pandya brothers and Pollard can take the game away from any opposition in the death overs.

Then, their bowling attack is the best on paper heading into next season. Bumrah and Malinga are excellent at the death, while the addition of Boult will give Sharma an option with the new ball. Rahul Chahar was the find of the tournament last season and the young leggie has that knack of picking wickets, which he regularly did in IPL 2019. Also, if any regular bowler is under the pump, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya are more than capable of bowling four overs, while Pollard can also chip in with the ball.

#1 The captain and leader

Rohit Sharma is the most successful captain in IPL ever

Rohit Sharma has won the IPL 5 times, which is the most by anyone and with Mumbai Indians as their captain, he has won it 4 times. He is someone who doesn't like to chop and change much with the established set-up and he always gives youngsters a chance. There's no doubt that he has a quality group to work with but he is the one who gave chances to the Pandya brothers, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rahul Chahar, who now have become internationals.

When one compares his record as captain with someone else, the only other one coming close to him is MS Dhoni with 3 IPL titles. Sharma is the most successful captain in IPL ever and until he remains the skipper of MI, they will always be one of the favorites for the cup. Moreover, MI, over the years, have always kept hold of their core. The likes of Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, and Krunal Pandya have been with the franchise for years and every single one of them knows what needs to be done in order to lift the IPL trophy.

That experience, mixed with some quality overseas internationals and young talents gives you a team to look out for in IPL 2020. Will Rohit Sharma be able to do it again? He might!