Many teams, especially those in contention for the playoffs, might be affected by the absence of their overseas players in the revised IPL schedule. MI also faces this issue, as some of their overseas players might not be available for the playoffs.
With MI still not confirmed in their place at the top 4, these sudden changes might affect their momentum. MI are currently at the 4th position in the points table with 14 points in 12 matches. They will look to win both their remaining matches to be on the safer side in the points table.
MI’s next 2 matches :
vs DC on May 21st at Wankhede, Mumbai
vs PBKS on May 26th at Sawai Mansingh stadium, Jaipur
Both are tough matches as they are both in contention for the playoff qualification.
WTC Final
The WTC Final between Australia and South Africa is scheduled for June 11th. Ryan Rickelton and Cosbin Bosch has been selected in the South Africa squad for the finals. CSA wants their players to come back for the WTC preparations before May 26.
So, these two might miss the playoffs. Ryan Rickelton has started scoring runs and giving the start the team needs, along with Rohit Sharma. MI doesn’t have a proper backup option for him. MI might ask Naman Dhir to open with Rohit.
Cosbin Bosch, has performed well in the two matches he played, can be replaced by Mitchell Santner, who played at his position before. They will get a left-arm spinning option, but will miss an extra fast bowler in the middle overs.
ENG vs WI ODI series
England and the West Indies are competing in an ODI series that starts on May 29. ECB wants their players to prepare for that. Will Jacks is named in the England squad. So, he might miss the remaining matches in the IPL. Losing two top-order overseas batters will be a big blow for the five-time champions.
Will Jacks was also handy with the ball. He is a part-time off-spinner who was used against left-handers in the middle overs. Bevon Jacobs might replace him in the X1, subject to his availability. Bevon is a New Zealand cricketer who is known for his hard hitting.
Indian Core
Mumbai Indians probably have the strongest Indian core in the league. They have 5 active international Indian cricketers in their squad ( Deepak Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah ). Along with them, they have players with international experience like Rohit Sharma, Mitchell Santner, and Trent Boult.
If these players clicked in the upcoming matches, they don’t need to worry about replacements. They also got few uncapped talents like Robin Minz, Naman Dhir, KL Shrijith. They have got Mujeeb-ur-Rahman as a replacement for Allah Ghazanfar.
With all their available sources, MI can still build a strong side and dominate in their remaining matches.
Also Read: IPL 2025: Do KKR Have An Advantage In The Second Phase Of IPL ?