Injury cloud over several players as Mumbai gear up for Hardik's homecoming

With eight wins from 14 games, they finished fourth in the league stage. In the Eliminator, they beat Lucknow Super Giants but lost to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2.

Hardik Pandya (capt), Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David*, Dewald Brevis*, Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod (wk), Romario Shepherd*, Mohammad Nabi*, Shams Mulani, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Shreyas Gopal, Jasprit Bumrah, Luke Wood*, Gerald Coetzee*, Kwena Maphaka*, Nuwan Thushara*, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Shivalik Sharma

*Overseas players

Suryakumar Yadav might not be fit in time for Mumbai's first game. He had surgeries for an ankle issue and sports hernia in the last three months and is currently undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

Jason Behrendorff has been ruled out of the tournament after breaking his leg in the nets. England left-arm seamer Luke Wood has replaced him. Dilshan Madushanka also had to be replaced by 17-year-old South African fast bowler Kwena Maphaka. Gerald Coetzee has joined the squad, but he is still recovering from a groin injury and is unlikely to be available for the first few games.

The captain. Hardik Pandya is back at Mumbai, and as captain, having taken over the role from Rohit Sharma. This is the first time that a current India T20I captain will play under someone else at the IPL. It will also be interesting to see how Rohit fares without the extra responsibility.

There are six new overseas players: Coetzee, Maphaka, Wood, Nuwan Thushara, Romario Shepherd and Mohammad Nabi. Thushara, who bowls with a slingy action like Lasith Malinga, recently picked up a five-for, including a hat-trick, in a T20I against Bangladesh. Among uncapped Indians, Shreyas Gopal has been added as a back-up for Piyush Chawla.

A strong Indian core. Once Suryakumar is available, Mumbai can have an all-Indian top five: Rohit, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar, Hardik and Tilak Varma. With Tim David at No. 6, it is a batting unit that can consistently post, or chase down, totals in excess of 200, as they showed last season. Kishan and Tilak also help with the left-right combination.

Hardik said at the pre-season press conference that he is fit to bowl, which lends the side great balance. In Shepherd and Nabi, Mumbai have two more quality allrounders but, as Mark Boucher hinted at, they may field only three overseas players at times.

In Jasprit Bumrah, Mumbai have a fast bowler who can bowl across phases. After standout performances in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the recent Test series against England, he is expected to lead the way once again.

Mumbai will be hoping Suryakumar does not miss too many games, while Kishan has not played top-flight cricket since November. The biggest blow perhaps is Behrendorff's absence as he was supposed to be the powerplay specialist. Coetzee's unavailability early on further robs them of flexibility.

Mumbai are thin on spin resources as well. Chawla was a point of difference for them last season; his 22 wickets from 16 games were the fourth-highest in the tournament. But his returns in the latest Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy were not as good: four wickets from seven games at an economy of 8.40. At 35, can he lead Mumbai's spin attack once again?

Kumar Kartikeya has age and form on his side but has not been effective in the IPL. Last season, he picked up five wickets from eight games at an economy of 8.73. Shreyas has played just four matches in the last three IPL seasons.

In the schedule released so far (March 22-April 7), Mumbai are to play four games. The first two away, against Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad, and the next two at home, against Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals. After the third match, they have a break of five days.