IPL 2015: Key players from Mumbai Indians
The core group of the Mumbai Indians have remained the same over the years and those players would play a crucial role in this edition.
Corey Anderson: The 24-year-old New Zealand player was known for his powerful hitting but his record-breaking 36-ball ODI hundred made him an overnight star across the globe. With the ability to clear the ropes at regular intervals, Anderson is just the guy you need to take the game away from the opposition. Apart from his batting prowess, Anderson is a more-than-handy seamer with a knack of picking wickets at crucial intervals. His all-round abilities also earned him a whopping Rs 4.5 crore after Mumbai Indians secured the services of the Kiwi sensation during IPL 2014 auction. The Christchurch batsman will surely be one of the most influential players in the IPL this year.
Lasith Malinga: The biggest reason why Mumbai are feared by their opponents are Malinga's toe-crushing yorkers. He was pivotal with 20 scalps in 17 games in Mumbai Indians' victorious 2013 IPL campaign. He will continue to lead the bowling and will hope the batsmen can keep up their end of the deal this time around. Last season, he claimed 16 wickets from 10 matches.
Kieron Pollard: The 27-year-old Trinidadian cricketer has been one of the most influential players for Mumbai Indians over the years. A prolific batsman, wicket-taking bowler and an absolute livewire in the field, Pollard has the right mix of being a successful limited-overs specialist. The right-hander slammed 420 runs and took 10 wickets to lead Mumbai to their first-ever IPL title last season. Pollard who was not part of West Indies' World Cup squad will be eager to prove his worth.
Rohit Sharma: The Mumbai Indians captain's leadership skills has matured and so also his batting. The right-handed batsman has amassed over 2903 runs and taken 15 wickets from 112 games for Mumbai in his IPL career. He was also the leading run-scorer with over 500 runs for Mumbai Indians in their victorious 2013 IPL season. His success in this edition will be a key if Mumbai aspire of going the distance in the tournamant.
Vinay Kumar: The Karnataka skipper has developed as a skilled bowler, especially in the T20 format with his variations. Vinay Kumar varies the pace quite discreetly, brings in the slower one to good use and also has the ability to bowl the slow bouncer. In 2012, he was the top wicket-taker playing for RCB by claiming 19 wickets in 15 matches. He played for RCB for three seasons before moving to now defunct Kochi franchise for a year and then again taken back by RCB in 2012. Ahead of the 2014 season he was traded to Mumbai Indians and will be featuring in their plans this season.