Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra reckons Mumbai Indians will be title contenders if they can keep a good vibe within the team. Since Hardik Pandya has been appointed as the captain of the franchise, replacing veteran Rohit Sharma, there have been reports that some of the players have not taken the decision well.
However, the MI owners have revealed that there is no unrest within the team. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians were able to add players like Gerald Coetzee (Rs. 5 crore), Dilshan Madushanka (Rs. 4.60 crore), Shreyas Gopal (Rs. 20 lakh), Nuwan Thushara (Rs. 4.80 crore), Naman Dhir (Rs. 20 lakh), Anshul Kamboj (Rs. 20 lakh), Mohammad Nabi (Rs. 1.5 crore), Shivalik Sharma (Rs. 20 lakh) in the auction.
MI has won five titles and they are one of the most successful franchises in the IPL history along with Chennai Super Kings.
On the other hand, Hardik Pandya has also proved himself as a leader in the IPL as he took Gujarat Titans to glory in IPL 2022 and also took them to the final in IPL 2023. Thus, the all-rounder will aim to get the best out of his players.
“The auction Mumbai Indians did was fantastic. They had earlier made a trade and then the job they have done with 17.75 crore is unbelievable. They have picked one leg-spinner in the form of Shreyas Gopal but they have Shams Mulani, Kumar Kartikeya and Piyush Chawla. You might see spin as slightly weak but fast bowling will make up for it,” said Chopra while talking on his YouTube Channel.
“If the Mumbai Indians are able to keep a good vibe within the team, because the captain has changed and the last two years have not been that good, and get a winning start, they are title contenders. You cannot rule them out at all this time. The Mumbai team is looking very good. The good old team has come,” Chopra added.
MI SQUAD FOR IPL 2024
Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Romario Shepherd, Hardik Pandya (c), Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma.
