The Mumbai Indians’ (MI) prolific and explosive batting has been one of the main reasons for their success over the years. Here are the five greatest MI batters. Over the course of their careers with the five-time IPL champions, some world-class batters have been hailed as fans’ heroes.
Five of these batters, on the other hand, just seem to stand out from the crowd. In addition to being iconic players, these are some of the most trustworthy MI players ever. Fans still have fond memories of some of their incredible knocks.
In light of this, let’s attempt to rank the five greatest Mumbai Indians batters of all time:
#5 Ambati Rayudu
Despite the fact that Ambati Rayudu is currently a member of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he arguably had his best years with MI and was a true unheralded hero in a number of the incredible victories they achieved.
Despite all the attention being paid to players like Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard, Rayudu still managed to make important contributions. With 2416 runs from 114 games, he is Mumbai’s third-leading run scorer in the IPL.
Rayudu played for MI for eight seasons and won three titles. Even though he is currently playing for the Men in Yellow, Mumbai Indians fans still regard Rayudu as one of their favorite players.
#4 Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav made his IPL debut in 2012 for Mumbai Indians, but he ended up playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a few seasons. Realizing the potential of “SKY,” the then-skipper Gautam Gambhir appointed him as his deputy for a few games.
Gambhir has made it clear that KKR’s decision to let go of Yadav was a huge mistake, as evidenced by his numbers since returning to Mumbai. SKY has scored 2036 runs and 15 half-centuries in just 69 games.
During his second stint with the team, he demonstrated his versatility by batting in almost every position in the top six before eventually settling in the top order. Suryakumar Yadav, arguably the world’s best T20I batter, will only advance in the MI ranks if he continues to produce jaw-dropping performances.
#3 Sachin Tendulkar
There is no batter who has ever batted better for the Mumbai Indians than Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar is the only MI player to ever win the Orange Cap, scoring 2334 runs in 78 games. In 2010, when he led Mumbai to the final, he won it.
Mumbai Indians fans continue to chant Tendulkar’s name during IPL games at the Wankhede Stadium. Tendulkar is an icon for Mumbai Indians. He played for Mumbai for six seasons and won the IPL title in 2013. Sachin, known as the God of Indian cricket, left a legacy in Mumbai that Rohit Sharma has carried forward.
#2 Kieron Pollard
At first, Kieron Pollard was an all-rounder who was mostly used as a bat finisher. Although Mumbai did not win the IPL title thanks to his heroics in the 2010 final, the team’s management probably realized that he needed to be played higher in the order to have a bigger impact on the game.
The move worked because Pollard was one of the IPL’s most dangerous batters for more than a decade. Under pressure, he played a number of crucial knocks, one of which was against CSK in the IPL final in 2013.
Pollard scored 3412 runs in 189 IPL games and had a career strike rate of 147.32. He devoted his entire IPL career to just one team, and his absence from IPL 2023 will undoubtedly be missed by Mumbai Indians fans. His devotion to Mumbai reveals a great deal about the family-like atmosphere provided by the franchise.
#1 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma was a key player for the Deccan Chargers in the first three IPL seasons. In 2009, when his team won the IPL, he was named Emerging Player of the Tournament.
However, when Mumbai bought Rohit in the 2011 auction, it seemed like a perfect match. Due to his lack of consistency in international cricket at the time, many people were unsure of how Rohit Sharma would fare.
However, Rohit’s subsequent success as Mumbai Indians captain saw him win five IPL titles. He did a great job leading the team over the years and played a few seasons in the middle order because he knew middle-overs needed his experience.
With 4709 runs from 182 games, Rohit is Mumbai’s all-time leading run scorer in the Indian Premier League. He still has a lot of cricket left in him and can help the Mumbai Indians franchise win even more championships and glory.
Rohit Sharma deserves to be ranked first on this list due to his impact and number of match-winning hits.