Top 10 best talents scouted by Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians have scouted many great cricketing talents.

Over the years, the Mumbai Indians (MI) scouting team has discovered a number of exceptional players, which has been crucial to the team’s success in the last ten years.

Several up-and-coming players, who were given chances by MI management, have gone on to become overnight sensations and lead the side to victories in the Indian Premier League (IPL). This team has a knack for spotting talent and elevating up-and-coming players to prominence, who have since become important characters in cricket.  

Some of the different cricket players have also gone on to play for India at the international level, where they have established themselves as key members of the squad and have demonstrated their ability to win matches.

In the recent IPL 2025, MI have already given chances to two new names, Vignesh Puthur and Ashwani Kumar, and both have impressed a lot with their brilliant performances. Today, we take a look at 10 of the best talents scouted by the Mumbai Indians.

Here are the top 10 best talents scouted by Mumbai Indians:

1. Akash Madhwal

Akash Madhwal hails from Roorkee, Uttarakhand, and is a neighbor of Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant. He has played domestic cricket for Uttarakhand and made a name for himself as a speedy, quick-pace bowler. He was a net bowler for the RCB franchise in IPL 2021 and was then brought in by MI in IPL 2022 as an injury replacement for Suryakumar Yadav.

Madhwal impressed a lot in IPL 2023 as MI were missing frontline pacers Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah. He took charge under the guidance of captain Rohit Sharma. His best moment was taking 5/5 against Lucknow Super Giants in the eliminator match. This gave him the record for best bowling figures by an uncapped player in the IPL history.

2. Vignesh Puthur

Vignesh Puthur, a 23-year-old son of a rickshaw driver in Kerala, made a huge impression on his IPL debut in 2025 as he picked three big wickets for MI against Chennai Super Kings. He dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Deepak Hooda to grab every IPL fan’s attention.

The 24-year-old from Perinthalmanna in Malappuram, Kerala, came on as an Impact Player, and the left-arm wrist spinner picked 3/32 in a match that MI lost, but he impressed. Interestingly, Puthur is yet to play any cricket for the senior Kerala side but impressed the MI scouts during the Kerala Cricket League, where he featured for Alleppey Ripples.

3. Ashwani Kumar

The latest hero in the IPL 2025 was MI’s left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar, who hails from Punjab. He picked a wicket on his very first delivery in IPL on his debut and went on to register the figures of 4/24. He became the first Indian bowler to take a 4-fer on IPL debut.

Ashwani Kumar, who has played for Punjab in domestic cricket, had a few unsuccessful trials at the Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Rajasthan Royals. However, he was identified by the MI scouts and bought for INR 30 lakhs in the IPL 2025 auction by the franchise.

4. Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya formed a deadly death-overs finishers combination with Kieron Pollard for some years at the MI. The elder brother of Hardik Pandya, Krunal, was bought by the MI franchise at the 2016 IPL auction for INR 2 crores. He was then retained by MI from 2018 to 2021 for INR 8.8 crores.

Krunal Pandya had an amazing career in the IPL for the MI franchise and was the Player of the Final in their IPL 2017 title clash win over Rising Pune SuperGiant. His exploits for MI helped him make his India debut as well in 2021, and he scored the fastest fifty in ODIs on debut for the Men in Blue.

5. Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav, another Mumbai player, was first bought by the MI franchise in the IPL 2012 auction. He only played one game for the franchise and, after one more season, was bought by KKR, where he made a name for himself as a finisher.

His return to the MI fold in the IPL 2018 auction changed the trajectory of his cricketing career. He established himself as a dependable batter and even made his India debut in 2021. He is now the captain of the Indian team in T20Is and has played in all formats for the Indian team. He has also captained MI in IPL 2025 and is the vice-captain of the franchise.

6. Axar Patel

Gujarat-born Axar Patel was also unearthed by MI when he was bought by them at the IPL 2013 auction. Unfortunately, he didn’t break into the MI XI and was later released, where he was picked by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) at the IPL 2014 auction, and Axar made a name for himself.

Axar Patel made his India debut as well in 2015 and was part of the Indian squad for the World Cup that year. He won the 2024 T20 World Cup for India and has become a regular in all formats of the game for the national side.  

7. Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma, a young player from Hyderabad, was selected by Mumbai for the IPL 2022 season after a solid U19 World Cup showing for India. He then spent the following three years playing a crucial role for the squad. Following a successful IPL 2023 season, Varma even made his India debut and is currently a consistent presence in the T20I team.

He has 1446 runs in 41 matches in IPL with a strike rate of 144.06 and a best of 84*. Tilak Varma has established himself at No. 3 for the MI side and also for the Indian T20I team, where he has two T20I centuries. The southpaw is known for his remarkable shot-making ability.

8. Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal, who is the leading wicket-taker in the IPL with over 200 scalps to his name, was first bought by MI in the IPL 2011. He played a handful of games for MI till IPL 2013, when he was bought by RCB. He went to earn praise and even made his India debut, thanks to his exploits for the RCB team.

Chahal was a mainstay for the Indian team in ODIs and T20Is from 2016 to 2022 and had 121 ODI and 96 T20I wickets in 152 international matches. He also won the T20 World Cup 2024 for India as part of the squad. He currently plays for the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025.

9. Hardik Pandya

One of the biggest finds by the MI scouts has been Hardik Pandya. Pandya, who hails from Baroda, was picked by the MI side in IPL 2015 and made an immediate impact thanks to his all-round performances. He soon made his India debut and became a vital part of the Men in Blue team in white-ball cricket. While his back injury has brought his test cricket career to an end, he continues to thrive in white-ball formats.

For MI, he, along with Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya, formed a terrifying finishing trio. He was let go after IPL 2021 and then captained the Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 title on debut. Pandya now leads the MI side after being traded in and made captain in place of Rohit Sharma.

10. Jasprit Bumrah

MI punted on Jasprit Bumrah despite his unusual bowling action in IPL 2013. Bumrah learned the art under Shane Bond and Lasith Malinga and has evolved into one of the greatest fast bowlers the world has seen. He won the IPL in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020 with MI, showing his worth in every title win.

He has become India’s MVP across all formats and has won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, winning the Player of the Tournament award. Bumrah also has went on to become No. 1 ranked bowler in all three formats of international cricket. He has also captained India in tests and T20Is and is considered to captain India in tests, barring his fitness issues.  

(All stats mentioned inside article updated till 1st April, 2025)

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