IPL team profile: Mumbai Indians
Team: Mumbai India
Captain: Rohit Sharma
Coach: Ricky Ponting
IPL Best: Winners 2013
Overview: The Mumbai Indians will always be known as Sachin Tendulkar's team, even if the legendary former India batsman does not play any more. They would want to improve on their fourth place finish last season.
With the squad that they have this season, they should start as one of the favourites. They have world-class T20 players such as batsmen Aaron Finch and Kieron Pollard and bowlers Lasith Malinga and Josh Hazlewood. It will also be Australia great Ricky Ponting's first assignment as a coach.
Key Batsman: Finch will be key at the top of the order set the foundation for the power hitters in the middle overs. The Aussie can be quite explosive when he gets going. Finch has a T20 batting average of 34.53 from 123 matches, including two centuries. His highest score of 156 came against England.
Key Bowler: Arguably the best T20 bowler that is still playing the game, Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga was retained (of course he was) by the franchise. Able to bowl at a brisk pace, Malinga has a sling action that can surprise batsmen. He bowls a deadly slower ball and is a master at hitting the yorker length regularly.
Likely Benchwarmer: Australia batsman Aiden Blizzard will find it hard to break into the team. The side already has Finch and added to that, West Indian Lendl Simmons is probably next in the pecking order.
They Said: Captain Rohit Sharma: "We have a great bowling line-up. Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun are seasoned campaigners. And the past two years they have been winning the Ranji Trophy and everything so they are obviously on a high and they know what they are doing.
"It’s important to know what your strengths and weaknesses are and they know that."
Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, Corey Anderson, Aditya Tare, Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Marchant de Lange, Pawan Suyal, Shreyas Gopal, Lendl Simmons, Aaron Finch, Pragyan Ojha, Mitchell McClenaghan, Abhimanyu Mithun, Aiden Blizzard, Akshay Wakhare, Nitish Rana, Siddhesh Lad, Hardik Pandya, Jagadeesha Suchitch, Unmukt Chand, Vinay Kumar, Parthiv Patel
Fixtures:
Wednesday April 8th vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Sunday 12th April vs Kings XI Punjab
Tuesday 14th April vs Rajasthan Royals
Friday 17th April vs Chennai Super Kings
Sunday 19th April vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Thursday 23rd April vs Delhi Daredevils
Saturday 25th April vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Friday 1st May vs Rajasthan Royals
Sunday 3rd May vs Kings XI Punjab
Tuesday 5th May vs Delhi Daredevils
Friday 8th May vs Chennai Super Kings
Sunday 10th May vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Thursday 14th May vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Sunday 17th May vs Sunrisers Hyderabad