Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra believes the Mumbai Indians can be a title challenger in the 2024 Indian Premier League provided they can keep their team in high spirits with new skipper Hardik Pandya replacing the legendary Rohit Sharma, who has won five championship titles under him.
Mumbai Indians made good use of that money by picking up young fast bowling sensation Gerald Coetzee and Dilshan Madushanka for just 5 crores and 4.60 crores, respectively. Hardik Pandya-led side looks to be an intriguing force in the IPL 2024, with an all-Indian batting lineup and a bowling attack dominated by foreign players.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra feels that the Mumbai Indians had a fantastic auction and that what they did with Rs 17.75 crore was incredible and stated that they had a superb fast-bowling department for the next season with a somewhat poor spin department.
“The auction Mumbai Indians did was fantastic. They had earlier made a trade and then the job they have done with 17.75 crore is unbelievable. They have picked one leg-spinner in the form of Shreyas Gopal but they have Shams Mulani, Kumar Kartikeya, and Piyush Chawla. You might see spin as slightly weak but fast bowling will make up for it,” Aakash Chopra said.
A pace attack with Bumrah, Madhwal, Hardik, and any two of Coetzee, Madushanka, Thushara, or the retained Jason Behrendorff could be lethal for the team in the home conditions. Mumbai Indians has traditionally valued the Wankhede pitch since it is better suited to speed bowling.
The Mumbai Team Is Looking Very Good – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra went on to say that if Mumbai Indians can maintain a positive attitude inside the team, they would be title contenders the next season and believes that the team has a formidable unit on the paper, to win their sixth championship in 2024.
“If the Mumbai Indians are able to keep a good vibe within the team, because the captain has changed and the last two years have not been that good, and get a winning start, they are title contenders. You cannot rule them out at all this time. The Mumbai team is looking very good. The good old team has come,” Aakash Chopra added.
Between the 2013 and 2023 seasons, Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles. The team has replaced him with Hardik Pandya for the 2024 season with an eye on the future, and many players in the squad are said to be unhappy with the decision to bring in the Indian all-rounder to the leadership position. However, the management may wish to maintain a positive attitude to win the championship the next season.