After struggling in their initial years, despite having legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock, Mumbai Indians never were a huge threat in the beginning seasons of the IPL.  It took three to four seasons for them to warm up and find their feet in the cash-rich league.

Mumbai Indians regrouped in sensational fashion and is now the most successful franchise in the Indian Premier League. It is the only side in the history of the T20 tournament to have lifted the trophy on four occasions – 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019. They also won the now-defunct Champions League T20 twice, in 2011 and 2013.

One of the key reasons behind Mumbai Indians’ stupendous success over the last few years has been the fact that they have identified a core group of players, and have backed their talents to the hilt, even as some other franchises have kept changing their squads frequently.

MI’s move has yielded rich dividends as they attained a level of consistency only the tournament’s most popular franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have, among other teams managed.  This has been the laying foundation or the base from which a lot of stars for the Indian team have been found. Players like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya to name a few have made it big in Indian colours after getting groomed by the Mukesh Ambani owned IPL franchise.

As Mumbai Indians prepare to defend their title in IPL 2020, here’s MI’s team of the decade:

1. Rohit Sharma(C)

Ro ‘Hit’ Sharma, as captain and opener of Mumbai Indians, is a straightforward choice. With Rohit at the helm, Mumbai have raised their game to a completely different level, which has translated into an IPL record of four titles. His calm and collected captaincy have won him a lot of admirers over the years.

In MI’s title win in 2013, he amassed 538 runs at a strike rate of 131.54. He was the man-of-the-match in the 2015 IPL final, smashing 50 from 26 balls against CSK. He scored over 400 runs in the 2019 edition as well. Having been part of the team since 2011, he has amassed 4,001 at a strike rate of 130.62, with one hundred and 29 fifties.

Rohit has used his extremely good record as skipper and opening batsman for MI and translated that into some inhuman performances this year for India across all formats of the game. The main highlight being the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, where he scored five centuries- a world record. His name has been strongly considered for the title of ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2019.

2. Lendl Simmons

India have seen the best of Simmons in the 2016 World T20 semi-final as well as in the recent T20I series. But it was with MI that he first made a significant impact. He was the leading run-scorer for Mumbai Indians in the 2015 edition with 540 runs in 13 games, including six fifties. Simmons was the top-scorer in 2015 final, with 68 from 45 balls.

He smashed a memorable 100 not out off 61 balls against Kings XI Punjab in the 2014 edition. Simmons represented Mumbai Indians from 2014-2017, and scored 1,175 runs at a strike rate of 125.80, with one hundred and 12 fifties.

3. Suryakumar Yadav

The talented batsman found it tough to cement a spot in the side in the early stages of his career. For the past three seasons, he has made the opening slot his own and has played some match-saving knocks for the side. He has just played 33 matches but has scored 938 runs so far.

The dashing Mumbai batsman Yadav has been consistency personified for his franchise Mumbai Indians where he is constantly coming up with the goods. Having first played for MI in 2011, he only found his groove in recent years. In 31 matches in the decade, Yadav has 936 runs to his credit at a strike rate of 131.41, with six fifties.

His best of 72 came off 47 balls in a losing cause against Rajasthan Royals in 2018. However, Yadav made a massive impression in the 2018 edition, with 512 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 133.33. In Mumbai’s 2019 title triumph, he contributed 424 runs at a strike rate of 130.86, including 71 in Qualifier 1 against CSK.

4. Ambati Rayudu

With 2,635 runs from 136 games in the decade, Ambati Rayudu is the among the leading run-getters for Mumbai Indians. Rayudu, who has been controversy’s favourite child over the past few months, has 14 fifties to his credit, with a strike rate of 123.36. He scored 361 runs in the 2014 edition, 333 in 2012, 395 in 2011, and 356 in 2010.

While he was never outstanding, he was a highly consistent performer. He was the pillar around which the team used to build the innings on.

Currently playing for Chennai Super Kings, Rayudu donned the Mumbai jersey from 2010-2017. In those eight seasons, he played 136 matches and scored 2635 runs. He was also the part of a side that won titles in 2013, 2015 and 2017 season.

5. Quinton De Kock (wk)

Although Quinton De Kock or QDK as he’s fondly called,  joined MI only in 2019, he made a massive impression with 529 in 16 games at a strike rate of 132.91. De Kock registered four fifties with a best of 81, and thus gets the wicket-keeper batsman’s slot ahead of Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel, who had played many more matches.

De Kock’s potential to provide explosive starts will be a vital addition to Mumbai Indians’  IPL 2020 campaign. Moreover, the wicket-keeper has flourished by leaps and bounds since the last edition of the Indian Premier League.

Although Mumbai Indians’ batting is stacked up with many match-winners, De Kock is expected to open the innings along with skipper Rohit Sharma.

6. Kieron Pollard (VC)

The current West Indies T20I and ODI skipper has made Mumbai his second home. He was signed in the 2010 auction by MI from West Indies outfit Trinidad and Tobago. Since then, he has been a vital cog in the side. He has played around 170 matches for the side and scored 3258 runs in the process. Apart from his batting exploits, he has also contributed with the ball.

Pollard or KP smashed an unbeaten 41 from 25 in 2019 final. He also starred in the 2013 final triumph, scoring an unbeaten 60 from 32. Pollard has 66 wickets to his name at a strike rate of 21.5 and is a brilliant fielder to boot.

7. Hardik Pandya

The all-rounder from Baroda has gone onto cement his place in the national side. However, it was his performances with MI that became the stepping stone for his selection in the national side. A lower-order batsman, who is capable of turning matches single-handedly, was picked up in the 2015 season. In his four-year journey with the side, he had played 66 matches in which he has scored 1068 runs.

With his medium pace, he picked up 14 wickets at a strike rate of 18.21 in the same year. His arrival gave Mumbai the x-factor they were desperately seeking.

8. Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya has scored 891 runs in 55 games at a strike rate of 146.06, with one solitary fifty (2016-2019). He was the man of the match in 2017 final for his 47 runs from 38 balls, and economical figures of 0 for 31. Krunal has claimed 40 wickets in IPL at a strike rate of 23.6.

He has contributed over 200 runs with the bat in each edition from 2016-2018, his primary job being that of getting quick runs at the end of an innings. With his left-arm spin, he claimed 12 wickets at a strike rate of 20.08 in 2018 edition, and as many in the 2019 edition.

9. Harbhajan Singh

The off-spinner is the second-highest wicket-taker for Mumbai with 147 scalps. He has been a part of the side that won the first three titles. Harbhajan, who was a stand-in captain for Mumbai in the 2011 Champions League tournament, led the team to a title win after beating rivals Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final.

Mumbai Indians have arguably had the strongest bowling line-up in the T20 league. Off-spinner ‘Turbanator’, Bhajji has been a key component in the Mumbai bowling line-up. Harbhajan stood out in MI’s maiden 2013 triumph, with 24 wickets at a strike rate of 17.50, and claimed 18 scalps as Mumbai won again in 2015. He was among the leading wicket-takers in 2010 as well, with 17 wickets at a strike rate of 18.88.

His best of 5/18 came against Chennai Super Kings in the 2011 edition. Long after his India days were over, Harbhajan remained a match-winner for MI. In fact, he has a decent record with the bat as well. His best knock of 64 runs from 24 balls came in a losing cause against Kings XI Punjab in 2015.

10. Lasith Malinga

The name ‘Slinga Malinga’ or Lasith Malinga is as synonymous with Mumbai Indians, as it is with Sri Lanka. He has been the leader of MI’s attack in the decade and his unplayable yorkers have felled many big names in IPL.

Malinga has contributed significantly in most of MI’s title triumphs – 2/22 (2013), 2/25 (2015), 0/21 (2017). Although he was taken for 49 in the 2019 summit clash, it was Malinga who claimed the last wicket of Shardul Thakur as MI won by one run.

The Lankan legend has been among the leading wicket-takers in a number of editions. He won the Purple Cap in 2011, with 28 wickets at a strike rate of 13.5. Further, Malinga claimed 22 wickets in 2012, 20 in 2013, and 24 in 2015.

Sri Lankan legend Malinga has been a crucial part of the Mumbai dugout. The experienced campaigner has had a great IPL career with MI and has led their bowling attack for many years. He has been the team’s match-winner for many years and has produced results with his lethal bowling during death overs. He is the all-time leading wicket-taker for the side, picking up 195 wickets in total.

11. Jasprit Bumrah

Much before he plied his trade with amazing success at the international level, Jasprit Bumrah made his name with some fantastic bowling efforts in the IPL. With his peculiar action and excellent accuracy, Bumrah has claimed 85 wickets in 80 games at a strike rate of 21.1 in seven seasons 2013 onwards.

Bumrah and Malinga have made a formidable pairing for MI over the last five years. His big-match ability saw him winning the man-of-the-match in 2019 final, with spectacular returns of 2 for 14 in his four overs.

It was in 2016 that he finally showed his capabilities as a bowler. In that year, he took 15 wickets. In 2017, he took 20 wickets to lead the team to a title. In 2019, he was once again instrumental in the team winning the title. He took 19 wickets. Overall, he has played 80 matches in which he has taken 85 wickets.

Special Mentions:  Mitchell McClenaghan, Zaheer Khan, Dinesh Karthik and Mitchell Johnson.