Mumbai look to overcome playoffs hurdle

Likely XI

Aaron Finch/ Lendl Simmons, Parthiv Patel/ Aditya Tare (wk), Rohit Sharma (capt), Ambati Rayudu, Corey Anderson, Kieron Pollard, Shreyas Gopal/ Pragyan Ojha, Harbhajan Singh, Vinay Kumar, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah/ Abhimanyu Mithun.
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2014 finish

They entered the seventh edition of the IPL as defending champions but the title defence was shaky early on. They lost all five games in the UAE leg but turned it around remarkably with seven wins in the last nine matches. They pipped Rajasthan Royals to a playoff spot after chasing down a target of 190 off 14.4 overs, but were defeated by Chennai Super Kings in the eliminator.

Big picture

The joke in the IPL fraternity last year was that the Mumbai Indians' support staff - which included Anil Kumble, John Wright, Jonty Rhodes, Robin Singh, Kiran More, Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar - could take on any other IPL outfit in a Twenty20 match. There has, however, been a reshuffle in the team management before IPL 2015.

While Kumble has been elevated into the owners' group from the mentor's role, Wright has passed on the head coach's mantle to Ponting, who was an advisor last season. The former India coach, along with More, is now in charge of talent-scouting. Tendulkar, meanwhile, continues to enjoy the icon's status while Shane Bond has joined as bowling coach.

The emphasis on the composition of the thinktank shows Mumbai are meticulous about planning. Detailed strategising on and off the field has helped the team emerge as one of the most consistent IPL outfits. Mumbai have made it to the last-four stage in each of the last five editions, winning the title in 2013.

The planning hasn't been able to find an answer for everything, however. In 2014, playing their first season after Tendulkar's retirement, Mumbai couldn't find a reliable opening pair for almost the entire tournament. Lendl Simmons and Michael Hussey finally settled into the opening partnership for the last four league games - the sixth combination the team tried in the season.

The opening combination will be the first big headache for Ponting, too. Mumbai have replaced Hussey with Aaron Finch for this season, but the Australia batsman will have to compete with Simmons - who was the leading run-scorer last season despite playing only eight games - for the opening batsman's slot. The second opener's slot is also far from certain with the competition between Aditya Tare and Parthiv Patel. It remains to be seen if Rohit Sharma will promote himself to the top of the order, a move that didn't work very well last year.

If they find a settled opening pair early in the tournament, Mumbai could well be on course for making it to the playoffs for the sixth successive season.

Big players

Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson can walk into nearly any T20 side in the world. For Mumbai, their impact was best seen last season when the team bounced back after a stuttering start to their campaign. While Malinga and Pollard have been with Mumbai since their IPL debuts in 2009 and 2010, respectively, Anderson made his maiden season memorable with his heroics with the bat in the last league match against Royals. The three players have had different experiences over the last year. Anderson played a key role in New Zealand's World Cup campaign but Malinga and Pollard have had troubles. Hampered by injury, Malinga hasn't been as effective in ODIs as he is in T20s, while Pollard will be keen to make a statement after being dropped from the West Indies ODI side for the tour to South Africa and the World Cup.

Add Rohit to the mix and Mumbai's perennial claim of being one of the favourites appears strong. Rohit is the second-highest run-getter in the IPL, after Suresh Raina, and is a proven match-winner in T20 cricket.

Bargain buy

Aiden Blizzard set the Big Bash League ablaze with his power-hitting, paving the way for a recall into the Mumbai line-up after a two-year gap. At his base price of Rs 30 lakh, Blizzard is a steal, considering he can play anywhere in the batting order. The cap on foreign players, however, means that Blizzard will have to wait for a chance. Malinga, Pollard and Anderson are certainties, while Finch and Simmons will compete for the fourth foreign player's place.

Availability

Corey Anderson is set to miss the last couple of league games and possibly the playoffs to join the New Zealand squad for a Test series in England. New Zealand Cricket have set a deadline of May 19 for the players to join the squad in England, while Mumbai's last league match is on May 17.

Support staff

Ricky Ponting (head coach), Shane Bond (bowling coach), Jonty Rhodes (fielding coach), Robin Singh (batting coach)

Quote

"These are big names in the world of cricket. What they think of the game is very valuable. You understand from what point they are talking. So it is important and very good to have these guys around, helping not just the young players but the whole squad."
Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma, on the advantages of having experienced former cricketers as coaches