All eyes will be glued to the action of the Indian Premier League that will kick off from September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Several changes have been made to the upcoming IPL season but the thing that will remain constant is the fact that Mumbai Indians will remain the team to beat. The most successful franchise in league’s history yet again has all bases covered and is star-studded in every sense.
Mumbai Indians were smart buyers in the IPL auction as they retained their major core players and bought key international stars and some talented unknown talents. The franchise is recognised to utilise their resources successfully better than any other IPL team.
Mumbai Indians will yet again unleash some of their surprise new picks to stun the opposition sides in IPL 2020. In this feature we dig and find out the 3 new picks of the franchise to watch out for that will be assets for the defending champions.
Let’s take a look at 3 new picks from Mumbai Indians to watch out for in IPL 2020:
3. Nathan Coulter-Nile
The Mumbai Indians (MI) are known to invest heavily in well renowned International players. The franchise already had a potent bowling attack but the inclusion of Aussie paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile will add solid depth. The 32-year-old was bought at Rs. 8 crores by MI in the IPL auction that made him one of the most expensive buys. The fast bowler is no stranger to the big stage of the IPL as he has always performed in the league.
Coulter-Nile may not initially find a place in the original MI squad but as the tournament progress, he will certainly feature in the team. During IPL 2020, Malinga may sit out in some of the matches and the franchise then can add Coulter-Nile which certainly won’t compromise with the strength of the side.
In his IPL career so far the speedster has played only 26 matches in which he has played 25 wickets at an economy rate of 7.66.
There will certainly come a point in the league when captain Rohit Sharma will look to unleash the strongly built Aussie pacer and bamboozle the opponents. Watch out for Coulter-Nile this season as he will look to extract pace and bounce on those slow UAE track and snaffle crucial wickets for his side.
2. Chris Lynn
As soon as Mumbai Indians bought Chris Lynn in the IPL auction, the opening batsman instantly expressed his excitement to join the marquee squad. Lynn is without a doubt one of the most successful T20 players in the world. Over the year we have seen him hit sixes at will against top-class bowlers.
Mumbai managed to buy Lynn at his base price of Rs.2 crores in the last IPL auction. This is a good steal as Lynn will provide fireworks from the get-go that will create a solid platform for all the middle order batsmen.
Numbers of Lynn in the IPL prove that he is a gun T20 batsman. The swashbuckling opening batsman has played 41 IPL matches in which he has amassed 1280 runs at a strike rate of 140 which is perfection in T20 cricket. Lynn will be looking to lit up IPL 2020 with his amazing stroke play and entertain die-hard supporters of Mumbai Indians.
1. Trent Boult
When you are one of the leading fast bowlers in the world you are bound to attract eyeballs. Trent Boult is now part of the Mumbai Indians and will make his debut for the franchise in IPL 2020 in the gulf of UAE.
Interestingly Boult has already taken a hat-trick in the UAE in an ODI match and that will certainly bring fond memories to the star pacer. In the IPL auction, Boult was bought by the 4 times IPL champs for 3.2 crores.
If Mumbai Indians include Boult in the squad the sight of him sharing the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah will be a scary sight for any batsman. Boult provides a different dimension to the MI pace battery as he with his left arm angle can strike early even on those unhelpful pitches in the UAE.
The smiling assassin has picked 38 wickets in 33 IPL matches at an economy rate of 8.78. Boult will be hoping that he is at his best during IPL 2020 and help MI win their 5th IPL crown.