Last but not least, My own favorite team and the three time IPL champions , Itssss MUMBAI INDIANS. The only concern for the team will be Yuvaraj and Pollard's form.
I would rate Mumbai Indians 9.5/10 for their paper team this coming IPL. But we all know that this team is knowm for producing best matches in IPL and the announcement of RG Sharma of opening the innings makes this team one of the top contenders of the Title.


   Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma is going to open in all their games in the coming IPL. Rohit said that this move was partially beacause he opens for India and the World cup follows immediately after the IPL.
   Rohit said," I hav in the past batted in the middle order and I have opened also in a few games so wherever the team requiers me to bat I have to get the right balance."
It is established that Rohit is a relatively slow starter and that once he face 30 odd balls, he shoots up his strike rate with seemingly effortless stroke to script match-winning knocks. Apart from Rohit's poor from last season, Mumbai's failure to make the playoffs was also a result of their inability to close out tight finishes, as six of their eight losses came in the last over. One reason was their top names not performing when it mattered, and this time they have also added the experienced  names of Lashit Malinga, who retuns from the support staff to the playing squad and 37 year old Yuvaraj Singh.



   Mumbai's Director Zaheer Khan said," The kind of experience Malinga brings to the table is immense not only with his bowling , but also in the game situation". Malinga was Mumbai's
bowling mentor last seasons and then went on to make an impressive international retun, particularly as Sri Lanka's captain in ODIs and T20Is which could help Rohit on the field.


   Keiron Pollard is another 35-plus player in the squad whose place Rohit and Zaheer were asked about especially because Pollard did not bowl at all in the IPL last year  and managed only 133 runs in eight innings. Zaheer said," Pollard has been playing a very influential role as far as MI's success is concered.
   With Rohit and Zaheer backing so many experienced players in the T20 format , There could be one concern though. Are they losing their own identity and trying to follow the unorthodox
template defending champions Chennai super kings followed last year?


           The Best XI of Mumbai Indians are
                                        
                                      Rohit Sharma (Cap+Bat)
                                      Quinton de Cock (WK)
                                      Ishan Kishan (Bat)
                                      Yuvraj Singh/ SK Yadav (Bat)
                                      Keiron Pollard (Bat)
                                      Krunal Pandya ( Al)
                                      Hardik Pandya (AL)
                                      Mitchell McClenegan (Bowl)
                                      Mayank Markande (Bowl)
                                      Lashit Malinga (Bowl)
                                      Jasprit Bumrah (Bowl)