IPL 10 Playoffs - SWOT Analysis of Mumbai Indians

The Mumbai Indians have arguably been the strongest outfit in the tournament this season. With just four defeats this season, they certainly emerged as the team to beat in the build up to the playoffs. They are being tagged as the tournament favorites at the moment. The way their players have chipped in has been a big plus for their stellar show in this edition of the tournament.

Mumbai Indians had started off on a low keynote as they were humbled by neighbors Rising Pune Supergiant in their opening match of the season. The two-time champions were quick to reflect back at the defeat and regroup in quick time to bounce back in the very next game. Since then, there has been no stopping back. In every match they played, they found a new hero stepping up to the occasion for them.

Hence, while there have been teams who have overly relied on some players for their performances, there stands a certain MI camp who have the problem of excess. With such abundance of match-winners in the lineup, they stand a very good chance to become the first team in the history of the tournament to win the championship on three occasions.

Having said that, it is worth noting that they have a stiff ask ahead of them. They will take on the Rising Pune Supergiant in the Qualifier 1 of the playoffs. Interestingly, RPS is the only team to have beaten MI on two occasions this season. Here we look at the SWOT analysis of the Mumbai Indians as they head onto the Maharashtra derby against RPS for the third time this season:

Strengths

Strong bowling lineup

The Mumbai camp have been able to defend some low scores in the game. They arguably have the best pace lineup when it comes to a blend of experience and youth. Mitch McClenaghan has been a top performer for the ball who has constantly chipped in with wickets this season. He finished at the fourth spot in the list of leading wicket-takers by the end of the league stage. With 18 wickets in 13 games, MI surely have found a wicket-taking bowler.

Lasith Malinga and Mitchell Johnson have swapped places in the playing eleven on multiple occasions this season. Both have not been very consistent but have been sensational on their given days. Jasprit Bumrah needs no introduction when it comes to death bowling. He had defended 11 runs in the Super Over in the clash against the Gujarat Lions this season.

In the spin department, they have the services of Harbhajan Singh and Krunal Pandya. Both of them have been highly economical. Harbhajan, despite having bowled in the powerplay, has an economy of under 6.5 this season. Karn Sharma has been impressive too with a best of 3/11 this season.

Plenty of finishers and match-winners

While the team has been very successful in defending low scores, it has been equally capable of posting huge totals on the board. A lot of credit has to go to the lower middle-order for this. The team boasts of multiple match winners in their side. Kieron Pollard has really come of ages to become a consistent run-getter this season. He had almost overhauled the target of over 200 against the Kings XI Punjab.

The Pandya brothers – Hardik and Krunal – have found themselves in the role of the finisher too. They have been excellent in their work with some spectacular show of power hitting. They have finished the games for the Mumbai Indians on multiple occasions this year.

Incredible bench strength

It was heartening to see how the bench strength rose to the occasion against the Kolkata Knight Riders. When MI arrived at Kolkata to play their last league game of the season, they decided to draft as many as 6 changes in the lineup in order to test their bench strength. Much to their delight, all benched players performed exceedingly well. Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu hit fifties, R Vinay Kumar bowled tight lines, the positives were plenty.

Weaknesses

Inconsistent middle-order

One of the key areas that the team needs to work on at the moment is their middle-order. The middle-order boasts of big names like Kieron Pollard, Rohit Sharma, Nitish Rana, and Ambati Rayudu. However, their credibility and consistency with the bat remain untested. On a given day when they have a horror run, the middle-order has seen severe crisis. If the middle-order fails, the likes of Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya get under immense pressure in the lower order.

Skipper struggles

Rohit Sharma averages just over 25 this season. Considering the kind of stature he has in the team, he was expected to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility in the batting order. However, Rohit has not been a consistent run-getter this season. He has three fifties to his name, out of which two are in the losing cause. Moreover, he has struggled against the spin bowling which the opposition teams have exploited big time. He has 6 single digit scores this season.

Opportunities

There will be an immense opportunity for the young boys to become men in the Mumbai Indians camp. The likes of Hardik Pandya are still being tipped as boys who can play well. However, a bit more application and match-winning efforts could see them rise in stature. Moreover, the team stands a chance to become the first team to win the IPL trophy on three occasions.

The wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel also has a very good platform to continue on his merry and make a statement in the bigger picture. Rohit Sharma, who is the Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, needs to get some more runs under his belt this season.

Threats

Mumbai Indians have the threat of succumbing in the crunch situations. Their skipper, Rohit Sharma, has looked nervous and wanting for options when his bowlers have been at the receiving end. Also, the heavy batting lineup that they have can implode at times. A collective failure of multiple batsmen could see them collapse against a quality opposition.