Away from the shadow of big names, Mumbai Indians' trust on younger ones has won

Mumbai Indians' youngsters have been instrumental in their wins in the IPL 2023 so far.

Known for keeping their core strength forward in every season, Mumbai Indians surprisingly saw a maximum number of departures from their squad in the IPL mega auction 2022. From Pandya brothers to Quinton De Kock to Trent Boult relocated themselves to other franchises in the league. This made MI embrace the few new options in the IPL 2022. In this auction, they tried to build a team around their Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, and Jasprit Bumrah rather than going for big names. They spent a huge amount of 15.75 crores in auction for the first time in their history. MI’s strategy did not work in the first season after a big departure in 2021. They won only 4 games out of the 14 they played in the IPL 2022 and finished with the wooden spoon.

Hat-trick of wins after two early losses

Again in 2023, Patience brought good results for Mumbai Indians. This time without their prime pacer, Jasprit Bumrah. They failed to win the first two games yet they made a roaring comeback in the next three. MI after chopping and changing too much in the previous season, ultimately found the right balance in the eleven. Those who were once considered extras for MI are now at the center stage taking the team toward a hat-trick of wins. Mumbai even after losing the first two games back to back remained calm and gave youngsters a longer run than usual in the last season. This worked wonders for MI.

Dewald Brewis and Tristan Stubbs are still waiting

Apart from a settled opening combination, Mumbai have struck a balance in the middle order as well. Players like Cameron Green, Tilak Verma, Tim David, and Nehal Wadhera have turned things around for MI. Surprisingly, Dewald Brewis and Tristan Stubbs are still benched. These two guys were considered a sure starter in Mumbai’s playing eleven. They are still waiting on the bench while players like Tim David and Nehal Wadhera have shown good intent in finishing. Cameron Green and Tilak Verma have provided the stability they required in the top 5. Tilak has scored 214 runs in 5 innings, while Green played a superb anchor against SRH on Tuesday night.

A Team effort in MI's bowling attack

Fans were anticipating a lethal Jofra Archer – Jasprit Bumrah taking on everyone for Mumbai this season. In the IPL 2022, Jofra Archer was ruled out for the entire season, and now in the IPL 2023, Jasprit Bumrah is out due to a back injury. Archer is still not fit enough and had been sitting on the bench after the first game. This came as a setback for MI. The Experience was missing out on the team. In place of experience, the young exuberance has provided a backup for Mumbai. Two Australians Jason Behrendorff (6 wickets) and Riley Meredith (5 wickets) with young Arjun had bowled brilliantly. The Experience of Piyush Chawla (7 wickets) also came in handy for the team. In the last three games, these guys have made opposition batters' life tough against MI. Apart from Venkatesh Iyer, no one was able to score freely in the last three games.

Trust on younger ones reaping benefits

Away from the shadow of Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer, MI’s current bowling attack looks like a complete team effort. Cameron Green also chipped in the last game with his 4 overs spell. Green conceded only 4 runs in the penultimate over against SRH. Mumbai needed momentum and also a balance in the eleven. They have shown that their youngsters are capable of doing what the experienced guys did for them in the past. Upcoming players like Hritik Shokeen, Nehal Wadhera, Tilak Verma, and Arjun Tendulkar are surely getting confident as the tournament goes on. They are relishing the trust management showing on them.

Five time IPL Champions Mumbai Indians are currently placed at Number 6 in the points table with 6 points in 5 games. They are running high on confidence and carrying the momentum forward with each game. Chasing 186 runs in the 18th over against KKR had given them teeth to bite again. And now, Defending 192 runs in a good wicket at Hyderabad has given the team a self belief they lacked before this season. Mumbai will take on Punjab Kings at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday evening.