Betfacts / Andrew Hughes / 15 April 2009 /

Injury to Tendulkar and a ban to Harbhajan Singh pretty much ruined their chances last year but with both back and raring to go plus the additions of Zaheer Khan and JP Duminy they could go far this year, says Andrew Hughes.

Performance Last Year

The Indians were strongly fancied last year but had a nightmare of a tournament. Injury kept Tendulkar out for most of the tournament and when Harbhajan did what Harbhajan does best and lost his rag with Sreesanth, they lost a vital bowler. In the circumstances, they did well to recover and in the end finished fifth, missing out on the semi-finals by just one point. They were reasonably solid in all departments without blowing anyone away.

Captain

Sachin Tendulkar

Three Key Players

Tendulkar is of course important, but these days his presence is as much of a boost as anything he actually does with the bat. Sanath Jayasuriya is the more crucial of the old legends, his early innings onslaughts being supplemented by some canny left arm spin. Harbhajan is one of the best limited overs bowlers in the world and he seems to have found a way to control his temper of late. And new signing Zaheer Khan, the best left-arm bowler in the world right now, should relish the more bowler-friendly South African wickets.

Strengths

Mumbai look strong in all departments. Robin Uthappa has gone to Delhi and Shaun Pollock has retired, but by adding JP Duminy, Mohammad Ashraful, Graham Napier, Zaheer and Kyle Mills, they have covered all of the bases. They appear to have just the right balance of hard hitting batsmen, all-rounders and limited overs bowlers.

Weaknesses

You have to look hard to find too many weaknesses in what appears to be a strong all-round squad. It would take perhaps another blow-up from Harbhajan or an injury to Tendulkar to wreck their chances.

Prospects

Mumbai should be a different proposition in IPL 2009 and it is isn't easy to find a flaw in their gameplan. Tendulkar is only an adequate captain, but his mere presence commands respect. And he has at his disposal a well-balanced squad. There is plenty of batting ammunition and in Zaheer, Mills, Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando, an array of bowlers perfectly suited to the prevailing conditions. Mumbai will fancy their chances of bowling any team out and have the resources to chase most totals. Surprisingly, they are not as popular in the winners market as Chennai or Delhi. Backing the Indians at [6.6] could be the bet of the tournament.

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