Chennai Super Kings may be two-time defending champions but Mumbai Indians look like the team to beat in IPL 2012
Tariq Engineer02-Apr-2012Big pictureRichard Levi, the South Africa opener, is the newest hard-hitter in Mumbai Indians’ squad•Getty Images
Chennai Super Kings may be two-time defending champions but Mumbai Indians look like the team to beat in IPL 2012. It took a Chris Gayle special to keep them out of the final last season and the franchise has since added to its already formidable squad through astute transfers and auction buys.One of Mumbai’s biggest weaknesses lay behind the stumps, so they acquired Dinesh Karthik, one of India’s better keepers and an aggressive batsman. They strengthened their bowling with the additions of RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha, two of the top four highest wicket-takers in the IPL; and when Andrew Symonds abruptly retired, they seized the opportunity to sign the record-breaking South Africa opener, Richard Levi, to partner Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the order, thereby solving another of their problems.The team will also be brimming with confidence after winning the 2011 Champions League T20 despite missing Sachin Tendulkar and Davy Jacobs, their first choice opening pair. Under the gritty captaincy of Harbhajan Singh – who will lead the team here as well, after Tendulkar passed on the reins* – Mumbai pulled off one unlikely win after another before toppling Royal Challengers in the final.With such an abundance of talent, the biggest challenge for Mumbai will likely be deciding whom to leave on the bench. Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga, the Champions League Man-of-the-Tournament, are automatic selections. If Levi opens alongside Tendulkar, that leaves just one more spot for a foreign player from among the likes of Clint McKay, Herschelle Gibbs, Mitchell Johnson, James Franklin and Thisara Perera. As problems go, it’s one every franchise would wish they had.A perennial favourite, Mumbai failed to win the IPL in the first four years, coming closest in 2010, when they lost the final to Super Kings. This season could well be the year they end their drought.Key playersSachin Tendulkar was Mumbai’s leading run-maker by a considerable distance in 2011 and the third highest in the league overall. With the chase for his 100th hundred over, sans the responsibility of captaincy and with Richard Levi at the other end potentially providing the fireworks, Tendulkar can concentrate on building his innings and providing the platform from which the team’s big hitters can let loose.The top two wicket-takers last season were Mumbai fast bowlers Lasith Malinga and Munaf Patel. The pair not only took a combined 50 wickets, but they were hard to score off, boasting economy rates of 5.95 for Malinga and 6.58 for Munaf. If they can repeat those kinds of performances, Mumbai will be very hard to beat.Big names inRichard Levi: Mumbai have struggled to find an opening partner for Tendulkar in the IPL, with a number of contenders being rotated in and out of the side over the past four years. Two months ago, Levi bludgeoned his way into the record books for South Africa against New Zealand in Hamilton with the fastest century in Twenty20 cricket. On the batting-friendly pitches of the subcontinent, his pyrotechnics could be the final piece in Mumbai’s quest for the title.Big names outAndrew Symonds: The former Australia allrounder announced his retirement from professional cricket earlier this year. Mumbai are unlikely to miss him much, though, given the quality of the players they have added through the trading window and the auction.Below the radarSuryakumar Yadav: The 21-year-old had a breakout season for Mumbai in the Ranji trophy, scoring 754 runs at an average of 68.54 and a strike rate of 85.00. His tour de force was the 200 he made against Orissa, which came from just 232 balls and included 28 fours and a six. Given a chance, he has the potential to inflict serious damage on an opposing bowling attack.AvailabilityNone of Mumbai’s players have international conflicts. They will be able to draw on their full squad for the entire tournament.13:53 GMT, April 2: This article has been updated to reflect that Sachin Tendulkar will not lead Mumbai Indians at IPL V